A 10-day Eid-ul-Azha holiday will begin on Thursday with thousands already left the capital to celebrate the festival with their families at their village homes.
Although the holiday officially starts on Thursday, the exodus began last Saturday and gained momentum on Wednesday, with transport hubs like Gabtoli bus stand, Sadarghat launch terminal, Kamalapur railway station, and other key bus terminals teeming with home-bound passengers.
The rush is expected to peak on Thursday.
A visit to Kamalapur railway station on Wednesday showed thousands of people leaving the capital — some even riding train roofs, risking their lives to make it home for the festival.
To facilitate the long break, the Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification on May 7 declaring June 11 and 12 (Wednesday and Thursday) as public holidays through executive order.
To compensate for the time off, the government kept offices open on May 17 and 24 which were weekly holidays.
Government and private offices, educational institutions, banks, and other financial institutions will remain closed during the period, which includes weekends and scheduled holidays.
The long holiday has triggered a rush of homebound people at bus terminals, railway stations and launch terminals in the capital.
City corporations and municipalities have taken special measures to remove the sacrificial animal waste, promising quick cleanup.
The government has deployed additional law enforcement personnel on highways, railway stations, river ports and major city points to ensure the safety of travelers and manage the rush.
Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over the overall preparations including security arrangements ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.
Talking to reporters after visiting the sacrificial cattle market adjacent to Maitri Sangha Club in the capital’s North Shahjahanpur area, he said a large number of Ansar members have been deployed in every cattle market this year to ensure security.
He warned that the government will take legal action if any transport operator charges extra fares or carries passengers beyond capacity during Eid journeys.
Besides, a control room has been opened on behalf of the leaseholders alongside police at the cattle markets, he said. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali on Sunday warned the leaseholders of the capital’s makeshift cattle markets (haats) not to collect any fees other than the government-fixed charges during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
Besides, he said, no vehicle carrying sacrificial animals from different regions of the country can be forcibly diverted into specific markets and cattle markets must remain within the designated boundaries set by the city corporations.
