Home ›› 08 Jul 2022 ›› Front
Holidaymakers in their hundreds left the city on Thursday as most of the offices went on vacation ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
At the Kamalapur Railway Station trains packed with passengers left Dhaka. Many tried to make a place on the roof of trains.
The exit points of the capital were crowded. Buses and launches carried passengers more than their capacities.
The rush of people at rail stations, bus and launch terminals intensified in the afternoon.
Traffic jam on Dhaka-Tangail Highway
Our Tangail correspondent reported that there had been a 30-kilometer-long traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway since morning after several vehicles broke down in the morning leaving passengers, especially women, children and elderly much to their sufferings.
Cattles heading to Dhaka by trucks were also getting sick because of long wait coupled with sultry hot weather.
Bangabandhu Bridge’s East Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shafiqul Islam said police had made the highway from Elenga to the bridge a one-way direction while inbound vehicles from the northern districts to the capital were taking Bhuapur Road to enter Elenga on their way to Dhaka.
However, Tangail’s Superintendent of Police Sarkar Mohammad Kawser said they were worried as the pressure of vehicles mounted with the passage of time.
The Narayanganj part of the highway experienced a seven kilometers of long tailback from Kornogope area to Kanchpur Bridge slowing the movement of vehicles, said Omar Faruque, Inspector of Rupganj’s Bhulta Traffic Unit.
People suffered at Sayedabad Bus Terminal
A huge number of passengers thronged the Sayedabad Bus Terminal, especially the passengers for the south and southwest-bound buses that use Padma Bridge. But for them the number of buses was not adequate.
Explaining the situation, Sakura Paribahan Manager Mohammad Faruque Hossain said the pressure of passengers was huge as those who used to take buses of Gabtoli-Paturia ferry route preferred Padma Bridge route.
Even people are choosing the route instead of launches. Till afternoon, vehicle pressure at Mawa end of Padma Bridge was moderate.
Less pressure on Paturia Ferry Terminal
The number of vehicles waiting to cross Padma River through Paturia Ferry Terminal in Manikjganj was less than previous Eid vacation. The vehicles were taking not more than one hour to board ferries.
Deputy General Manager of BIWTC Aricha Regional Office Shah Mohammad Khaled Newaz said they were operating 19 out of 21 ferries. Patuaria Launch Terminal Manager Nandalal Saha said they were operating 22 launches.
Sadarghat Launch Terminal
The pressure of passengers was moderate on the Dhaka-Chandpur route but presence of passengers for the Barishal, Bhola, Patuakhali, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Amtali and Barguna route was not that much till noon.
Al Amin Hossain, a staff of Barguna-bound vessel MV Royal Cruise, said they would start journey around 6pm but till 4pm the number of passengers was not satisfactory.
“Passenger pressure will increase in the evening after closures of garment factories. But they will mostly board Barishal-bound launches which were scheduled to leave the terminal late,” he said.
According to BIWTA officials, till 2pm 31 launches left the terminal to their destinations.
More passengers than the previous days were seen at Kamalapur Railway Station. At least seven trains - Sundarban, Nilsagar, Dhumketu, Rangpu Express, Titas Commuter, Ekota Express and Agnibina - missed schedules by one to two hours till afternoon.
Passengers were seen climbing to the roof of the trains but the authorities removed them from there. Nilsagar was late as law enforcers took time to signal it to leave the stations.
