People have started leaving the city of Dhaka for their respective village homes in large scale to celebrate the Eid-ul-Azha with their near and dear ones. Many people are also leaving the capital Dhaka for various tourist spots and holiday destinations like sea beach and forest.
The Dhaka Metro Police Department says it has begun to experience heavy traffic leaving the city using the north, south, west and east highways. As thousands of holidaymakers make their way to various holiday destinations for the celebration of religious festival, motorists have been warned to be vigilant on the roads.
The holy Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated in Bangladesh on June 17 (Monday) as the moon of the Zilhaj month was sighted in the country’s sky on June 7. Government employees are enjoying a five-day holiday for Eid-ul-Azha, with vacations from tomorrow (Friday) to June 8.
A large number of government and private staff are also leaving the capital today (Thursday) afternoon after completing their office work on the last working day to ensure timely travel for eid celebrations. City’s Sayedabad, Gabtoli and Mahakhali bus terminals, Sadarghat lunch terminal and Kamalapur and Airport railway stations saw a huge crowd of home-goers as people are leaving the capital to enjoy the festival at their village homes.
People of 21 districts in the country’s southwest region have been using Padma Bridge in crossing the mighty River Padma and they have been traveling to their respective destinations quickly and safely for two years. They are driving straight to their respective home districts from capital Dhaka by road, leaving the awful nightmare of ferry ghat, as they are now crossing the river in just six minutes over the bridge.
The people of southwestern districts are truly feeling now comfortable while crossing the turbulent Padma River over the dream bridge. But the homebound people passed another day of intolerable sufferings as they got stuck on roads and even different flyovers for hours due to heavy traffic gridlock across the city on Wednesday. All roads heading towards the most highways connected with Dhaka, including Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Sylhet, Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Tangail, Joydebpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga, Dhaka Aricha, Dhaka-Rangpur and Dhaka Khulna alongside Padma Bridge were filled with buses, coaches, cars, cattle-laden trucks, covered vans and rickshaws.
A large number of government
and private staff are also leaving
the capital today (Thursday) afternoon
Besides, roads heading towards Sayedabad, Gabtoli and Mahakhali bus terminals, Sadarghat Launch terminal and Kamalapur and Airport railway stations also saw huge crowds of Eid holidaymakers since Wednesday morning. Traffic congestions in the city turned acute, causing intolerable sufferings to the homebound people alongside commuters. The busses, coaches and other vehicles took at least two hours to get on the highways and express way as well. Manually run toll plazas and shortage of toll booths are also deteriorating the gridlock on different roads and highways. Cops were struggling to control the vehicular traffic approaching towards highways, Padma Bridge and parts of the country from Dhaka. All know the number of buses, coaches, cars and other vehicles plying roads and highways increases during Eid.
Severe traffic gridlock on roads and highways and untold sufferings of people are common phenomena especially during the Eid journey throughout the country. Many say their journey are torturous this time also as many parts of national highways are not in good shape alongside heavy pressure of vehicles may aggravate the situation.
To cope with the increased passenger and vehicular pressure, the concerned ministries should take collective measures to make hassle-free Eid journey of the holidaymakers immediately. Strong enforcement of law and monitoring by the authorities concerned are necessary to check the violation of traffic rules, overtaking, traffic chaos, plying of unfit vehicles, remove obstacles to smooth traffic and ensure better management at different intersections and entry and exit points of the capital. All concerned must make their efforts in operating vehicles on roads and highways and launches and vessels on waterways with maintaining discipline and remain cautious at the highest level to avert any kind of accidents.
