Noman Mosharef :
The homebound people are leaving the capital city to celebrate Eid ul Fitr, the biggest religious festival of Muslim community, at their native homes with near and dear ones amid ease, comfort and satisfaction on roads.
Moreover, pressure of long haul vehicles has increased on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway since Friday morning as people have set out for their destinations with the beginning of the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday.
People of 21 southern districts are travelling to their homes through the expressway on buses, cars and motorcycles.
Although there is extra pressure of vehicles on this highway, there is no traffic congestion or hassle along the way, said homebound people.
Visiting the area, it was found that vehicles were crossing the Padma Bridge quickly after paying tolls at the Mawa point of the bridge.
Meanwhile, many people were seen crossing the Padma Bridge on motorcycles since this morning.
Although there are some risks with two-wheelers, a large number of people have found comfort in going to their destinations on them.
Contacted, Abu Saeed, executive engineer of the site office of Padma Bridge, said, “Eid journey is hassle-free this year. A total of seven toll booths have been kept operational to collect tolls from vehicles quickly.”
Furthermore, the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway is experiencing an increased traffic pressure as the nine-day extended holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr commences on Friday.
On the 10-kilometre stretch of road between Tongi and Chandana intersection, vehicles were seen moving slowly around 10:00am Rafiqul Islam, a bus passenger, said, “I came to Tongi from Mohakhali and have now been stuck here for two hours. The bus stopped after going some distance. I have not been able to get to the intersection yet.”
Ashok Kumar Pal, additional deputy commissioner (traffic) of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said that garments factory workers have started their journey home since yesterday afternoon because most of the factories have been declared closed for Eid.
Moreover, battery-powered auto-rickshaw drivers are not following traffic rules properly. They are roaming the roads, he said.
Regarding the movement of battery-powered auto-rickshaws on the highway, Ashok Kumar Pal said that it is not possible to fully control the movement of auto-rickshaws due to a lack of manpower.
Md Ayub Ali, officer-in-charge of Maona Highway Police Station in Sreepur, Gazipur, said that the pressure of passengers and vehicles on the highway has increased slightly this morning, but there is no severe traffic jam.
In addition, on March 28, it was observed that while the number of travelers remained similar to previous days, there was no familiar rush. No passengers were seen sitting idle during long waits as they reached their destinations.
Mehdi Hasan, a passenger on the Silk City Express to Rajshahi, shared, “I sent my family ahead yesterday. After finishing a task, I’m heading home for a long holiday. Although I faced some hassle getting a ticket, the journey itself has been hassle-free.”
Most passengers expressed similar satisfaction, with many sporting smiles of relief. They hope this trend continues in the future.
However, it was reported that the Nilsagar Express, bound for northern Bangladesh, which was supposed to leave at 6:45 AM, actually departed at 8:00 AM. This caused a delay of about 1 hour and 15 minutes in the train’s departure from Dhaka towards Chilahati.
On the other hand, Anwar Hossain, the Station Master-1 at Kamalapur Railway Station, mentioned that there have been no significant schedule disruptions during the past four days. Only a few trains were delayed due to technical issues that caused late arrivals at Kamalapur.
Shahadat Hossain, the Station Manager at Kamalapur, assured that various safety measures have been taken at the station for passengers’ security. Additionally, the railway authorities are closely monitoring ticket black-marketing and ensuring stricter surveillance to prevent such activities.
