Fear of Suffering for Homebound People on All Routes

Holy Eid-ul-Fitr is knocking on the door. The people of the capital are excited to go home to share the joy of Eid with their near and dear ones. Preparations to go home have already begun. Many have not been able to go home in the last two years because of the Coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, this time the pressure on homebound people will be more, it has been highlighted in a survey conducted by the Accident Research Center of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

Researchers say that for various reasons, this year's Eid journey will not be very comfortable. They also fear that the entire road system of the country may go into 'coma' three days before Eid. As a reason, the researchers said, about 13 million people will leave Dhaka for the upcoming Eid. During the last four days of Eid, traffic congestion may occur due to the pressure of extra vehicles on the limited roads. An average of 3 million people will leave Dhaka every day in these four days. However, the country's transport system has the capacity to transport 1.6 million passengers a day. The remaining 1.4 million people will have to travel for Eid in an 'alternative way'. And that alternative way is - bus, train or launch roof or truck or any other way; That is, at the risk of life. Hadiuzzaman, director of BUET's Accident and Research Center, suggested that family members be sent home first so that the journey would not be painful.

Passengers complain that the fare for AC buses is almost doubled. In addition, severe traffic congestion has already started on all the exits from Dhaka. In the days ahead, it could take on even more awful forms. As the construction work of the project is underway on the highway, it is feared that the passengers will suffer a lot due to the severe traffic congestion.

Secretary-General of Bangladesh Passengers Welfare Association Mohammad Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said that as the Coronavirus restrictions uplift, almost twice as many people will go home this Eid. More than one crore people will travel from Dhaka to different districts of the country on Eid. In addition, more than 50 million people can travel from one district to another. This requires extra security, maximum caution, and ensuring maximum use of every vehicle on all routes; but if the proper use of public transport is not ensured due to traffic congestion and mismanagement, a hellish situation may arise in this year's Eid journey.

The gateways to travel from the capital to different districts of the country are mainly Jatrabari, Saidabad, Babubazar Bridge, Postagola, Tongi Railway Station, Shaheed Ahsan Ullah Master Flyover, Mirer Bazar, Ulukhola, Kanchan Bridge, Gabtali Mazar Road, Mirer Bagh, Ashulia. Unbearable traffic congestion may occur in various places including Shaheed Buddhijibi Setu, Jinjira, Keraniganj, Hatirjheel, Mohakhali, Rampura, Amulia, Demra, Sultana Kamal Bridge, Chittagong Road, Kanchpur, Madanpur, Meghna Toll, Bhulta, Gauchia, Barpa.

On the other hand, according to BUET's survey, 16 lakh passengers will be able to travel for Eid on public transport normally every day. Of these, 8 lakh will be able to travel by bus, 1 lakh by train, 1 lakh 25 thousand by launch, 3 lakh by motorcycle, and 3 lakh by private car. But 14 lakh passengers will not get any vehicle. As a result, they go 'alternative ways'.

Roads outside Dhaka will also be affected by traffic jams. It is learned that there are fears of traffic jams at 5 places on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway and 6 places on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. And on the Dhaka-Mymensingh road, Tongi Bridge may be the cause of suffering for homebound people. One of the two bridges is under construction there. As a result, vehicles travel through alternative bridges. And for this reason, the passengers of greater Sylhet, Mymensingh, and the northern part of the country have to get stuck in traffic just to enter Gazipur. The second obstacle on this road is Tongi Station Road. Traffic jams were also reported in Morkun, Majukhan, Mirer Bazar, Pubail and Cheragali, Gazipur, and Board Bazar areas of Dhaka-Mymensingh road.

In this regard, Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Department Mohammad Nazrul Islam said that work on several projects will be completed before Eid. Elenga flyover, Nakla Bridge, and several other projects will be completed and opened to traffic by April 25.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Aricha office DGM Shah Mohammad Khaled Newaz said preparations have been made to ensure to make the Eid journey smooth for homebound people. There are now 19 ferries plying the Paturia-Daulatdia route. MV Golam Maula and MV Shapla, the two ferries that are undergoing repairs, will join shortly.

Passengers' pressure on the trains: many prefer trains for safe travel; but this time, even there, the passengers may suffer the most. Concerned people are thinking that there will be 5 times more passengers in the train this time. Unlike scheduled trains and tickets, there will be more passenger pressure without tickets. Tickets will be sold online and over the counter, even if there are complaints. Advance tickets for Eid Jatra are on sale from April 23.

According to sources in the Railway Operations and Transport Department and the Commerce Department, the number of passengers will be 5 to 6 times more this Eid-ul-Fitr than any previous Eid. In the last Eids (before 2020), 150 to 170 additional passenger coaches were added with an average of 7 pairs of Eid special trains. This time it has been announced that 100 coaches will be attached to 6 pairs of special trains.

Air tickets: Many upper and middle-class people now return home by air for Eid, but there is also no news of relief. Advance tickets for almost all the airlines have already run out. There are allegations that a syndicate is booking these tickets in its own name.