People crowd trains, launches

People in large numbers thronged the railway station, bus and launch terminals in the capital yesterday in a frenzy to reach home and celebrate Eid and puja holidays with their families outside Dhaka.

All trains and launches leaving Dhaka were packed like sardines but buses were less crowded. Even the roofs of trains and launches were crowded.

However, those who opted for road transport had to face hurdles on the way as the Dhaka-Tangail highway saw congestion throughout yesterday and vehicles moved slowly on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Chittagong highways.

Cattle-carrying trucks heading for Dhaka from northern districts aggravated the situation on the 65km highway stretch between Chandra of Gazipur and Bangabandhu Bridge, reported our Tangail correspondent.

Vehicles heading for 26 districts -- 16 northern, five south-western and five of greater Mymensingh districts -- use the highway.

“I started from Mohakhali Bus Terminal at 7:00am and reached Tangail at 2:00pm due to traffic jams, especially at Chandra intersection,” said bus driver Shyamol Saha.

Usually, it's a two-hour trip.

“We face untold sufferings going home every Eid due to the traffic jam. Things remained unchanged this year too,” said businessman Shahin Ahmed of Kahalu of Bogra.

Truck drivers falling asleep in jams also contribute to tailbacks.

Broken down vehicles is one of the major reasons for the jams. “It is very tough to send a tow truck to the spot due to the narrow highway and the situation turns worse when several vehicles breakdown at the same time,” Superintendent of Police Saleh Mohammed Tanvir of Tangail told The Daily Star.

Mujahidul Islam, traffic and security manager at Bangabandhu Bridge, said the number of the vehicles crossing the bridge in the last 24 hours hit a record 20,899. Usually, 10,000 vehicles cross the bridge a day, he added.

Many bus passengers yesterday had to wait for hours at Gabtoli Bus Terminal for their trips home because buses were very late on their incoming trips.

Bus operators say buses coming from districts got stuck on Dhaka-Tangail highway putting their schedules in disarray.

At Sadarghat, passengers complained of vessels overloading when Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan visited the terminal yesterday evening.

When the minister went inside the launch Glory of Srinagar heading for Bhola, it was packed, including the roof, which is illegal.

He ordered the BIWTC officials not to allow anyone to travel on the roofs, but many launches left the terminal overcrowded.

The minister said ferries would be used for carrying passengers to reduce the pressure on launches when the Eid rush peaks.

Meanwhile, the government yesterday decided to deploy police at launch terminals across the country to prevent vessels from overloading.

There were no traffic jams on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway but vehicle movement was slow yesterday, making the journey long.

Delwar Hossain, a government employee, boarded a bus to go to Sylhet at 3:05pm. Contacted at 7:30pm, Delwar said he had just crossed Ashuganj.

"There was congestion on the way … If everything goes well, it will take another two and half hours to reach Sylhet," he said.

There was no major disruption in vehicular movement on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

Ferry and launch services at Paturia-Daulatdia and Mawa-Kawrakandi were normal. The authorities yesterday deployed two additional ferries at Mawa-Kawrakandi.