As Eid-ul-Fitr nears, the busy streets of Dhaka are gradually thinning out as people have started making their way back to their hometowns and villages, to celebrate the joyous occasion with their families and loved ones.
With just a few days left until Eid, the capital city is witnessing a noticeable exodus as residents on Thursday night and Friday morning started bidding farewell to the urban hustle and bustle and embrace the tranquillity of their homes.
Before the start of the Eid holidays, crowds of homebound people are seen at the ticket counters. Those who have the opportunity are jumping at the first chance they can get towards home.
On-spot visits on Friday showed passengers having to wait for a long time at the capital’s railway stations and bus terminals. Many also complained about the increase in bus fares.
The Airport Railway Station was seen overflowing with homebound returnees on Friday. Hundreds of passengers risked their lives by climbing onto the train through its windows and onto the roof without getting a standing ticket.
Earlier, people had to stand in long queues to buy train tickets. Most of them used to stand in line for 24 to 36 hours to collect their advance tickets. But this time, the passengers had to face a different kind of suffering.
Railway officials say there is a daily demand of at least 4,00,000 tickets. In comparison, a little over 30,000 intercity train tickets are being sold every day, leaving many people without tickets.
As per upcoming Sunday’s online outbound ticket sales data, in the first half hour since the sales started, the Western section of Bangladesh Railway (BR) got 9,40,000 hits while the Eastern section got 7.45 million hits with fewer actual sales.
Not getting the desired seat or even a standing ticket, many illegally climbed onto the roof or locked themselves in the bathrooms of the trains to reach home a little bit early. Many fell ill because of the heat as the electricity supply was hampered in some trains.
Amin Ullah, a college student, said, “My home is in Lalmonirhat. I was not able to get the chair coach ticket. So I bought a standing ticket and am hoping to find a seat after Joydebpur.”
Meanwhile, bus terminals were also crowded. Homebound passengers thronged the Gabtali, Mohakhali and Sayedabad terminals amid the intense heat. However, due to the rush, buses did not leave on time, which caused even more suffering.
ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, has warned that the authorities concerned will not allow charging of higher or extra bus fares during Eid.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Habibur Rahman also stated that stern action would be taken if the charged bus fares were more than the fixed amounts, be it on roads, railways or waterways during the Eid rush.
However, there have already been complaints. Passengers claimed that they were unable to find tickets, and some unscrupulous people sold tickets for an additional hefty amount on the black market. Holidaymakers are also worried about whether or not they will be able to reach their destination on time due to traffic congestion.
Faisal bin Siraj, who plans to go to Mymensingh’s Gafargaon, faced the black marketing of bus tickets at Mohakhali Bus Terminal. He said, "I failed to buy three tickets from the counters at first. Later, I had to pay Tk 200 extra to get the tickets."
Another passenger, Suruj Ali, said, “I have been waiting for two hours but did not get any tickets. People at the ticket counters said that all tickets had been booked and demanded extra money for emergency tickets.”
Eid-ul-Fitr is likely to be celebrated on April 10 or April 11, depending on the sighting of the moon. However, the government has fixed the Eid holidays on April 10, 11 and 12 (the upcoming Wednesday, Thursday and Friday). Also, there is a holiday of Shab-e-Qadr on Sunday.
After the Eid holidays, government employees will get their weekly holiday on April 13 (Saturday) and the public holiday for Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla New Year, falls the next day.
Government offices will remain open for two more days on April 8 and 9 (Monday and Tuesday). If Eid is celebrated on April 11, there will only be one day (April 10) for homebound travels. Hence, government officials and employees will be getting a five-day Eid holiday from April 10 to 14.
