During the continuous 10-day Eid holiday, hundreds of thousands of people are leaving the capital for their villages, driven by a longing for their roots, to celebrate Eid with family and loved ones.
Although the crowds at Kamalapur Railway Station, Sadarghat, and Gabtoli, Sayedabad, and Mohakhali bus terminals have slightly decreased, the suffering of passengers remains considerable. Severe traffic congestion on roads and highways has caused major disruptions to bus schedules. Despite everything, law enforcement activities remain extensive, and security across the city has been tightened.
The perennially bustling city of Dhaka, a city known for its traffic jams, is now much emptier. The noise of people, the calls of the street vendors, and the honking of vehicles have all faded away. The usual bumper-to-bumper traffic is absent. Most modes of public transport, usually filled to the brim with Dhaka residents, are experiencing a shortage of passengers and are leaving for their destinations with many empty seats.
Since morning, there was a heavy rush of homebound people at Mirpur, Kalyanpur, Mazar Road, and Gabtoli bus terminals. At the counters of transport services such as Shyamoli Paribahan, SR Paribahan, Shah Fateh Ali Paribahan, and Super Soni, passengers were seen waiting for buses.
Multiple passengers complained that the bus schedules were not being maintained, leading hours of delays. Staff members claimed the buses were stuck in traffic.
At Kamalapur Railway Station, there were no schedule disruptions for any trains departing since Friday morning. Compared to the past two or three days, the presence of passengers was slightly lower. Many were seen standing in line behind bamboo barricades to enter the station. Passengers could not pass the first checkpoint without showing their tickets. Tickets were again checked later.
Passengers were boarding the trains however they could. Those who couldn’t get tickets in advance were standing inside trains or perched upon their roofs.
Although the departure time of the Ekota Express was scheduled for 10am, the train arrived on the platform one and a half hours early. Except for one or two, most trains were leaving on time, packed with passengers.
There is still a crowd of homebound passengers today at the capital’s Sadarghat Launch Terminal. Drawn by the pull of their roots, many city dwellers are heading home via river routes with some relief.
From early Friday morning until 11am, 28 launches departed from Sadarghat Launch Terminal, most heading to Ilisha, Chandpur, and Lalmohan.
35 launches are scheduled to depart from Sadarghat Launch Terminal by 3pm today. The highest number of launches is expected to depart in the evening and at night.
A passenger from Barisal, Abdur Rahim, said that, since the roads were empty, it didn’t take long to reach Sadarghat. As always, he is going to his hometown with his family to celebrate Eid.
Meanwhile, on the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway, the number of vehicles has increased severalfold. Due to the pressure of excess traffic and vehicle breakdowns, there are severe delays.
Vehicles move intermittently along approximately 25 kilometres of the highway, from Gharinda to the eastern side of the Jamuna Bridge.