The 5 August public holiday, extended with extra leave and the weekend amid gas shortages, has triggered an Eid-like rush of homebound workers from Bangladesh’s largest industrial hub, as around 20 per cent of apparel factories in Gazipur announced four-day holidays.
Thousands of workers began leaving for their villages from Tuesday afternoon, with passenger pressure intensifying on Wednesday along the Dhaka-Tangail Highway, particularly around Chandra, where long queues formed at bus counters and traffic slowed intermittently.
Industrial Police said most factories declaring extended holidays were in the ready-made garment, textile, knitting, dyeing and washing sectors. Many affected by the gas shortage have temporarily halted production or shifted to limited operations until gas supplies improve.
Workers combined Wednesday’s public holiday marking July Uprising Day with Friday’s weekly holiday and an additional day of leave to extend their break.
The surge in travellers left transport operators struggling to meet demand, with passengers alleging that some charged two to three times the usual fare.
“I received a four-day holiday. When I arrived at Chandra, it felt like travelling during Eid,” said passenger Anwar Hossain. “Bus fares are much higher than normal and it’s difficult to find a seat.”
Garment worker Sumaiya said she had taken an extra day’s leave to spend time with her family.
“Today is a public holiday. I also took leave on Thursday before the weekly holiday. It feels like Eid because I can finally go home for a few days,” she said.
Industrial Police Superintendent Md Amzad Hossain said factories had aligned the government holiday with weekly closures, allowing workers to take extended leave. Those facing acute gas shortages were operating at reduced capacity or temporarily suspending production until supplies returned to normal.
According to him, around 20 per cent of the 2,674 factories in the district announced four-day holidays.
Inspector Zafar Ali of Konabari Highway Police said traffic volume had started increasing on Tuesday night, with intermittent congestion continuing on Wednesday morning.
He added that no formal complaints had yet been received over alleged overcharging by transport operators, but action would be taken if complaints were filed.
The disruption comes as export-oriented manufacturers continue to struggle with one of the worst gas shortages in recent years after a technical problem at an LNG terminal off Maheshkhali cut national gas supply by about 500 million cubic feet a day, worsening an existing shortfall of around 1 billion cubic feet daily.
However, industry associations rejected reports that factories had shut down because of the energy crisis.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) described reports of factory closures due to gas and electricity shortages as “false and baseless”.
It said member factories were maintaining 60 to 70 per cent of production despite energy constraints, while many had adjusted work schedules by combining the public holiday with weekly holidays.
The additional leave would be recovered through regular working days in accordance with labour laws.
The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) also said no factory had closed because of gas or electricity shortages.
Its President Mohammad Hatem said many factories in Gazipur and Narayanganj had granted three- to four-day holidays at workers’ request by combining public and weekly holidays, with lost working days to be recovered later through normal duty.
He added that keeping dyeing units operating during the holiday period would allow factories to produce some fabric despite the gas shortage.
DBL Group, a major apparel exporter, clarified on Monday that its apparel factories announced the extended holidays amid some production disruptions due to the gas crisis, which did not mean a production shutdown.
