Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Dhaka is witnessing a steady inflow of returning city dwellers as offices, courts, banks, and financial institutions resume operations after a long stretch of Eid-ul-Fitr and Pohela Boishakh festivities that ended on April 14.
After enjoying five days of public holidays, nearly 1.5 crore people are ready to return to the city by road, rail, river and air, data from several government and non-government organisations show.
Moreover, schools, colleges, and universities are going to reopen from next week, most of the people will return from their hometowns within this week. Many returnees expressed that they faced little to no issues while returning to Dhaka as there was no major gridlock on the roads.
However, their previous Eid journeys were not the same due to high fares and traffic jams, especially in the north and south-east regions of the country.
Niaz Morshed, a returnee form Gopalganj, said, “I arrived in Dhaka without facing any traffic jams. But they overcharged me in the name of Eid allowance, and made unscheduled stops to pick up passengers. My journey was smooth till Jatrabari, after that there was a minor gridlock.”
Though many praised smooth travels, some expressed frustration over high fares and overcrowded transports, highlighting challenges faced by travellers during the holiday rush.
Abdullah Al Miraj, a private employee who returned to Dhaka from Jhenaidah on Sunday night, said, “The maximum fare is usually Tk 600, but passengers are being charged up to Tk 1,000.”
Belayet Sheikh, a salaryman who returned to Dhaka from Magura, said, “I still have one day of holiday left, but I left earlier to avoid overcrowded transports and unavailability of tickets.”
“The return fare of Dhaka is significantly high. All transports are charging an additional Tk 150 to Tk 200. Apart from this, the pressure to return to Dhaka increased from Monday. Considering the circumstances, I left for Dhaka early.”
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, weather may remain mainly dry with a temporary partly cloudy sky over the country and a mild to moderate heat wave is sweeping over Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and it may continue.
Doctors recommend staying inside if possible, drinking more water, and avoiding direct sunlight.
From early morning, passengers were seen arriving by road, as well as by trains at the Kamalapur Railway Station. The station was crowded with passengers during the morning. Many were seen leaving Dhaka for their native homes as well.
Seven trains from all over the country arrived at Kamalapur station from morning to 12pm.
North Bengal train Panchagarh Express reached Kamalapur at 8am. Sadiq Khan, a passenger of this train returning to Dhaka after 9 days, said, “I spent a long vacation after many years. I now have to resume office.”
Fahmida Hamim, a passenger of the Sirajganj Express train, said, “Our campus re-opened Monday. Exams will start in a few days.”
