People who had left Dhaka to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in their village homes with near and dear ones are returning to the capital city in great numbers. As today (Sunday) is the first working day after the Eid vacation, the officials of government and non-government organisations dominated the number of returnees on Saturday. As a result, massive crowds were created at bus stations, railway stations and Sadarghat launch terminal in the capital since Saturday morning. On the other hand, many people who celebrated Eid in capital, continued leaving the city for their respective village homes. At Gabtali bus station, holidaymakers mostly of North Bengal region returned to Dhaka without any hassle. Shamim Ur Rahman a banker at a private bank arrived on time as expected. He says, “From Bogura to Dhaka it took only 7 hours. No traffic jam was there. To avoid ticket trouble and maintain office routine, I came back a day earlier.” On the fourth day of Eid, at Sadarghat Ghat launch terminal the crowd of passengers was increasing gradually. Rashel Ahmed returned from his hometown Bhola. He teaches at a private school in Dhanmondi. Talking to Bangladesh Post on his Eid journey, he said “It was without any trouble. On the way out, ticket fare was thrice the regular, but on the return, less than hundred taka. Security at launch terminal was satisfactory”. From morning onwards, the buses of Barisal, Bhola, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Charfassion, Bhandaria, Lalmohan and many other routes of the country started to cross ferry terminal. The launches and the passengers continued to mount in the terminal. In the meantime, due to the launch congestion, many launches were seen waiting for many hours at the terminal. Inspector of the Department of Safety and Traffic (BIWTA) SM Shafiqul Islam says, this year's Eid journey has been free of any kind of suffering. There was no news of any tragedy anywhere on the river way. At the same time, we did not have any claim of extra fare collection. Besides, there was no news that dope gang, hijackers and pickpockets were caught. At the Kamalapur Railway Station, after the celebration of Eid the people's flow into the capital continued. Trains arrived at Kamalapur, and despite a bit of sufferings, smiles of happiness were seen in the eyes of the passengers. All the trains at Kamalapur were arriving since morning, hundreds and hundreds of home goers were seen getting off every train. But compared to other times the sufferings were very low, the passengers said. Passenger Amirul Islam departed from Panchagarh and reached Kamalapur on time. Along with four members of his family, he returned to Dhaka. They were seen delighted too about their Eid journey experience. Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of the country, was celebrated countrywide on 5th June. The government holiday started on June 2, but residents of the city started leaving the capital on 30th May with their families. According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police, up to 50-60 lakh people left the capital on trains, buses and launches by June 4. This year Eid journey was smoother than that in any other year.
