Massive exodus of travelers have begun from Saturday for Eid vacation as millions of people are crowding at bus and launch terminals and train stations. The domestic airport at Dhaka was also found very busy operating extra flights. Although the home-bound Eid holiday makers started leaving the capital on Thursday last but the swarm of passengers were noticed in much big volume on Saturday as Eid is knocking on the door.
The central (main) railway station – Kamlapur was found with thousands of passengers looking for tickets. Many of them who had already obtained advance tickets were seen waiting on the platforms amid huge rush of crowds. Many of the passengers complained of trains leaving late and that too carrying extra passengers many of who did not have tickets. Despite police presence hundreds of passengers were seen climbing on the roof top of the trains despite a strict ban on this.
“There is mismanagement everywhere,” said an aggrieved passenger waiting to reach Gaibandha on Sunday at Kamlapur station adding, “We expect the authorities to maintain discipline but unruly people without having tickets enter the platforms and occupy space inside the trains. This is disgusting and I demand proper management.”
A fellow passenger heading for Rangpur said, “We paid for the tickets after so much of struggle and expect to travel comfortably but the authorities care little about such issues. They let the defiant crowd to break the rules and create anarchy.” A huge crowd was found at Dhaka Airport Railway Station as thousands of passengers started pouring in at the much smaller capacity station. The ticket booths were over crowded as rows of people waited inside the entrance hall of the station.
An angry passenger who got his ticket after waiting for more than five hours standing in the long queue said, “Members of the Law enforcing agencies are illegally helping people to obtain ticket behind the counters.” The pressure of passengers increased in the early morning on Sunday as it was an official holiday on the occasion of Laylat al-Qadr, also known as Shab-e-Qadr.
The launch terminal at Sadarghat, the biggest and only river transport terminal in capital, was found overcrowded as usual. Flocks of people were seen reaching the terminal in old Dhaka by the River Buriganga where hundreds of passenger vessels docked at the terminal to pick up the passengers. Despite a general ban, many vessels defied the directive and left the terminal overloaded risking accidents although the launch authorities claim that the extra passengers on the rooftop are not intentional and poses no real danger as the capacities of the vessels are much more than it now carry.
“I booked a cabin to take my family to Patukhali but the crowd everywhere inside the vessel seems to have spoiled the comfort I was expecting,” said a man on board M V Modhumoti. The bus terminals at Gabtoli, Mohakhali and Jatrabari were also found overcrowded as thousands of people started pouring in since early morning on Sunday. Gabtoli, the biggest of the three bus stations which operates mainly in southwestern routes, was undoubtedly overcrowded.
Huge rush of passengers were seen in all the ticket counters where people with families were seen standing in long queues. Although sporadic complaints were there about same ticket sold to multiple people but there was discipline irrespective of the rush. Meanwhile, many bus drivers returning from previous trips said that there was hardly any traffic congestions on the highways as the authorities strictly maintained order, especially on the roundabouts where traffic are parked making the passages narrow.
Meanwhile the domestic airport on Sunday was found very busy with rush of travelers. All the flights were booked, including Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Special arrangements were made by some airlines to operate extra flights to ease the rush, especially on Dhaka – Chattogram route.
