Thousands of holidaymakers were seen rushing to the bus, train, and launch terminals to travel from Dhaka and its adjacent areas to various districts across the country ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr on Monday.
After vacations started at many apparel factories on Monday, traffic congestion increased on the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge and Dhaka-Mymensingh national highways as thousands of apparel workers started their Eid journeys.
Traffic gridlock was seen in areas, including Chandra at Gazipur, Savar, and Ashulia, while passengers alleged shortages of transport and demand for extra fares.
Many people were seen travelling in goods-laden trucks and pickup vans.
Some trains on the northern routes of the country also ran behind schedule.
This year, Eid-ul-Fitr is scheduled to be celebrated on April 10 or 11, depending on moon sightings.
People have started their journeys to different districts since April 4.
In the capital, people have been seen rushing to the bus, train, and launch terminals since morning.
Many bus passengers, especially those travelling to the northern part of the country, alleged that they had to pay up to Tk 700 extra to secure a ticket.
At the Kalyanpur bus stand, a woman travelling to Jaipurhat said that she could not purchase a ticket from Ahad Enterprise as it cost Tk 1,200 instead of the regular price of Tk 450 to Tk 500.
Without disclosing her name, she mentioned that she did not have Tk 1,200.
Asked about charging extra fees, a ticket seller from Ahad Enterprise responded, 鈥業f you want to travel during Eid time, you have to pay extra money.鈥�
Raja Ahmed, who is travelling to Rajshahi to celebrate Eid with his family, said that he purchased an AC ticket from National Travels for Tk 2,000, which was Tk 500 more than the regular price.
Another passenger bound for Naogaon named Nefeur Rahman also could not secure a ticket around 3:00pm.
鈥業f I can鈥檛 secure a ticket, I鈥檒l have to rely on local transport with multiple stops during the journey, which will make the journey longer,鈥� he said disappointedly.
A few buses were spotted at the Kalyanpur Bus Stand between 2:00pm and 3:30pm, with no traffic congestion observed on the roads from Shukrabad to the bus stand.
Since Monday morning, a huge number of passengers had been seen coming to the Kamalapur railway station in the capital.
On the day, Silkcity Express on Dhaka-Rajshahi and Nilsagar Express on Dhaka-Chilahati routes were one and a half hours behind schedules.
Rangpur Express on Dhaka-Rangpur, Drutajan Express on Dhaka-Panchagarh, and Sundarban Express on Dhaka-Khulna routes were around one hour behind schedules.
Kamalapur railway station manager Md Masud Sarwar said that the number of passengers, especially on northern routes, was highest on Monday at the station ahead of Eid.
鈥楽ome trains ran slightly behind their schedules as passengers took more time to get off and on trains during Eid with their luggage,鈥� he said.
In the evening, a huge number of passengers were seen at the airport rail station, leaving Dhaka.
At the Sardarghat launch terminal, hundreds of people had been seen leaving Dhaka since noon.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority joint director Alamgir Kabir said that on Monday, the highest number of passengers left Dhaka from Sadarghat during Eid.
Until 9:30pm on Monday, 95 launches left Sadarghat, he said, adding that the pressure of the launch passengers would continue on Tuesday.
Usually, 60 to 70 launches leave Dhaka per day.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Gazipur reported that thousands of apparel workers started their Eid journeys from Gazipur after many factories started vacationing.
At Chandra area on the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway, a huge number of buses were seen taking passengers by blocking the road and creating traffic congestion.
Tawhid, an apparel worker, said that after 12:00pm he started from his office.
鈥榃e found huge traffic congestion in the Chandra area,鈥� he added.
On the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, buses, minibuses, trucks, and even pickup vans were seen taking passengers to different points, causing long traffic congestion.
They were charging passengers at their whim.
Ferdous Alam, another worker, alleged that the transport workers were charging extra from them.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Tangail reported that the number of vehicles on the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway increased on the day.
Elenga highway police station outpost in-charge Mir Md Sajedur Rahman claimed that though the number of vehicles increased there was no traffic gridlock.
Between 6:00am on Sunday and 6:00am on Monday, 29,780 vehicles crossed the Bangabandhu Bridge, much higher than the average number of vehicles between 19,000 and 20,000 crossing the bridge.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Sirajganj reported that until Monday noon, Eid journeys on the Dhaka-Rangpur and Dhaka-Rajshhai national highways were comfortable with no traffic congestion.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Manikganj reported that huge pressure from holidaymakers, mostly passengers of local buses, was seen at Paturia and Aricha ferry terminals on Monday.
They were seen crossing the routes by ferries, launches, and speedboats without waiting long.
No long queues for vehicles were seen at these terminals.