Hiccups in train stations, smooth sailing on highways: With home in heart, commuters leave Dhaka 

Commuters took to rails, waterways and the roads to reach their destinations outside Dhaka to celebrate Eid.

While it was smooth sailing on the highways, the same could not be said of rail travel.

 Although traffic pressure increased on the highways, there was little congestion.

Vehicles were easily passing through the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway and the toll plaza area of Padma Bridge without any congestion on Tuesday.

Railway passengers at Kamalapur station, however, had a different experience.

Many had rushed to the station in the early hours of a rainy day in the city, but faced hiccups as trains departed around two hours late.

Jasmine Akhter was making a trip home with her mother in the Nilsagar Express on the way to Chilahati of Nilphamari.

She said, "The train did not arrive on time. There is no place to even sit at the platform."

However, the Kamalapur station authority claimed that they were not responsible for the delay in departure of the trains. They said some trains arrived at the station late and thus, took extra time to leave.

Kamalapur Station Manager Masud Sarwar said, "We had to carry out adequate inspections considering the safety of passengers during Eid. Because of this, some trains in the western region have been delayed by half an hour to an hour."

Nonetheless, this did not take away the sufferings of the homebound people. Dhumketu Express passenger Shahidul Islam was headed to Rajshahi with his wife and two children.

They rushed to get to the station on time and skipped having breakfast. He said, "Waiting more than two hours in this condition is very difficult."

The advance ticket sale for the Eid trip of intercity train for 27 June was released on 17 June. Only those who got tickets on that day were able to get seats on the train today.

However, 25% of the total tickets for Shovon category are sold as standing tickets before the train departs. So, long queues were seen at the counters and at the gate, causing the place to get more jam packed.

Aside from trains, people rely heavily on buses and other vehicles. So, smooth travels on the road is a saving grace.

Mohammad Nahin Reza, executive engineer of Munshiganj Roads and Highways Department, said there are 14 toll booths at the Dhaleshwari toll plaza of Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Expressway. There are two automatic toll collection booths at both ends. Additional manpower has also been engaged. So, vehicles are passing through easily, he said.

If there is no accident there will not be much pressure on the toll plazas and highways, he added.

MdAmirulHaider Chowdhury, additional director of Padma Bridge Site Office said, law enforcement forces are especially vigilant at night for maintaining traffic order and safety of passengers. Drivers are urged to be careful to avoid accidents, he added.

Officer in charge of Hasara Highway, SM Rashed, said the pressure of vehicles has increased since morning. However, there is no traffic jam on the highway. Traffic congestion was not noticed much at Expressway toll booths and in Padma Bridge toll plaza area.

"We have deployed additional police at various points on the expressway to prevent over-speeding of vehicles," he added.

Even though various measures were undertaken to remain vigilant for road safety, the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway was one that faced a severe traffic jam spanning an 8km stretch.

This resulted from a series of unfortunate events; accidents, vehicle breakdowns, reckless driving, and the temporary suspension of toll collection.

This morning, the traffic congestion began from the eastern side of the Bangabandhu Bridge, extending all the way to Hatia in Kalihatiupazila of Tangail.

Authorities have attributed the long tailback to multiple collisions and a car breakdown that occurred on the bridge.

To address the situation, the bridge authorities suspended toll collection on three separate occasions.

Toll operations were halted for some 10 to 12 minutes starting from 3am, for about an hour beginning at 4am, and finally from 5:30am to 5:45am. These stoppages further exacerbated the traffic jam.

Elenga highway police station OC ZahidHasan assured that the necessary measures were taken to restore normal traffic flow.

He said, "We are actively performing our duties on the road, and efforts are underway to resolve the issue promptly. We hope that the situation will return to normal soon."

Apart from commuting, an issue that surfaced is allegations of transport workers collecting extra fares on various routes of land and waterways during the Eid journey.

The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity raised the issue today, saying, "Efforts of the law and order forces in controlling traffic jams and crowding during Eid this year is commendable but the malpractice of collecting extra fare on various routes during the Eid journey is still ongoing."

Since Monday, an additional fare of Tk300 to Tk500 was being charged depending on the route from Dhaka to North Bengal and South Bengal. This extra amount was further increased today. Short distance passengers are having to pay long haul fares, it said in a statement, demanding effective steps to prevent such fare hikes.

Commuters relieved as no crowd in Ctg bus stands; fares hiked

Unlike previous years before Eid-ul-Azha, bus counters in Chattogram were seen less crowded and commuters did not have to wait for hours to get on a bus.

Kamal Uddin, counter manager of Shadhin Bangla Paribahan, said there were fewer passengers this Eid than previous years. "We have 20-22 buses plying from Chattogram every day, which is the same number of buses that operate daily."

However, like every year during Eid, bus fares have increased. Bus owners have hiked fares by Tk100 to Tk150 in the inter-district bus routes.

Imran Hossain, a passenger in Bandhan Paribahan, said, "Increasing the bus fare on Eid has become an unwritten rule. Bandhan Paribahan has increased the bus fare by Tk100. But this time, as there was no crowd, I got the ticket as soon as I came to the counter."

Meanwhile, managers of various long-distance bus counters said the existing Tk680 fare is being charged on the Chittagong-Dhaka route as well as other routes.