Eid rush: People suffer as highways clog up

As thousands of Eid holidaymakers left Dhaka yesterday, many suffered on roads due traffic congestions on three major highways and at an exit point of the capital in the morning.

Traffic situation improved in the afternoon, but vehicles moved slowly in some parts of two major highways in the evening.

Many passengers complained that some bus operators charged them extra fares taking advantage of the Eid rush.

Some said they had to wait for several hours to board buses even after buying tickets at higher prices.

Most of the trains left Kamalapur Railway Station on schedule.

SUFFERING IN MORNING

People leaving Dhaka using Mayor Hanif Flyover faced tailbacks in the morning.

Monirul Islam Bhuiyan, a banker, said he boarded a shuttle bus of a transport company in Kalabagan at 10:00am.

"It is now 1:30pm and I am still stuck on the flyover. I don't know how long it will take to reach Chattogram," he told this newspaper.

He reached Narayanganj's Signboard area at 2:00pm.

From Paduar Bazar to Chandina of Cumilla, a 25km stretch, vehicles moved slowly around 6:00pm, reports our Cumilla correspondent.

According to highway police, congestion happened after workers from Denim Processing Plant in Chandina blocked the highway around 11:00am, demanding arrear wages.

The blockade was withdrawn around noon, said Ahmed Sanzur Morshed, officer-in-charge of Chandina Police Station.

People bound for southern districts suffered delays on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway due to a 6km tailback at the Mawa end of the Padma Bridge toll plaza.

Ziaul Islam, in-charge of Mawa Traffic Police Outpost, told our Munshiganj correspondent that vehicles were caught in a snarl-up on the expressway early yesterday after a goods-laden truck broke down near the toll plaza. The truck was removed from the expressway after around five hours.

Kanchan Kumar Sinha, in-charge of Hashara Highway Police Station, said traffic became normal around 3:00pm.

Another traffic congestion was seen on the Dhaka-Tangail highway at the east end of the Bangabandhu Bridge. Vehicles moved slowly on this part of the highway for about five hours since early yesterday, causing suffering to the Eid holidaymakers.

Traffic was slow moving on a 20km stretch from the east end of Bangabandhu Bridge to Rabna Bypass in Tangail sadar upazila from 5:00am, said passengers and transport workers.

Sajedur Rahman, in-charge of Elenga Highway Police Outpost, told our Tangail correspondent that traffic situation deteriorated around 6:00am when a cement-laden truck overturned on the highway in Pauli area of Kalihati upazila.

The situation started becoming normal after the truck was removed from the highway around 8:30am, said the police official.

A huge pressure of vehicles on Nabinagar-Baipail-Chandra highway and Abdullahpur-Baipail road led to traffic congestions in some places, said Ayub Ali, officer-in-charge of Savar Highway Police Station in Dhaka.

Rush of vehicles led to a 3km congestion, stretching from Gabtoli to Baliarpur area, on Dhaka-Aricha Highway, Ayub told our Savar correspondent in the evening.

TRAIN SERVICES

A large number of people left Dhaka by trains yesterday and their journeys back home were largely hassle free.

More than 30 trains left Dhaka as of 7:00pm and only two of them ran behind schedule, Shah Alam Kiron Shishir, divisional commercial officer (Dhaka division) of Bangladesh Railway, told The Daily Star.

Rajshahi-bound Silkcity Express departed the capital one hour late while Chattogram-bound Chattala Express was one and a half hours, he said.

Departure of Rajshahi Commuter was delayed by two and a half hours.

Many passengers expressed satisfaction at the railway services as almost all trains left Kamalapur Railway Station on time.