First day of Eid journey was smooth: National committee

The first day's journey of the homebound people from Dhaka and surrounding areas to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr was comfortable on Wednesday, according to the National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads, and Railways.

In a statement, the committee said there was no traffic jam on long-distance highways till 3pm on Wednesday. No untoward incident was reported at Sadarghat Terminal, Kamalapur Railway Station, various highways, and Paturia, Aricha and Shimulia ferry ghats. 

The Eid holidaymakers did not complain of extra fares in the launches and buses, or disruption of the train schedule and harassment at the station, reads the statement.

Apart from this, the leaders of the national committee said the steps taken by the authorities concerned, including police, BRTA and Bangladesh Railway, were satisfactory for a comfortable and safe Eid journey.

According to the statement, since the government opened all the highways during the Eid holidays, a large number of motorcycles crossed the Padma via Shimulia, Paturia, and Aricha ferry crossings on the first day. A long line of two-wheelers was seen on the Tangail section of the Bangabandhu Bridge over the river Jamuna, causing delay in the toll collection of the bridge.

The statement requested strict vigilance on motorcycle movements to avoid unexpected accidents.

It also said the people started leaving Dhaka from Tuesday afternoon, the last working day before Eid.

However, on the first day of the public holiday, the crowd increased from Wednesday morning. On the day, at least 50 launches packed with passengers left Sadarghat Terminal for the coastal districts.

According to the statement, the Eid journey of the train started on Monday. On the third day, 26 trains left Kamalapur until Wednesday noon. Of these, the Nilphamari-bound Nilsagar Express left 40 minutes late, but the rest left on schedule. Apart from this, no one was allowed to travel on the roofs of the trains from Kamalapur, Dhaka Airport, and Gazipur stations.

Stating that the road communication was normal on the first day, although the crowd at Gabtali Bus Terminal was comparatively less.

Hundreds of long-distance buses left Sayedabad, Mohakhali, Gulistan, and TT Para (Kamalapur) terminals. However, these buses did not get stuck in long traffic jams on the ferry Ghats or highways, it said.