Smooth Eid journey turns chaotic after evening 

Home-bound people enjoyed relatively smooth Eid journeys, except for some exceptions, until Thursday noon but the travel experience started to become the worst since the evening as thousands of garment workers and day labourers left cities for their village homes together after their work stations closed before Eid holidays.

The rush has caused significant traffic congestion at several key points, including ones on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway, the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, and the Baipail-Abdullahpur Highway, reported our local correspondents.

The dire straits have been compounded with heatwaves, causing great discomfort for travellers. In addition to traffic conditions, there have been complaints about overcharged public transport fares.

"The traffic pressure on roads has been on a gradual rise since the afternoon [of Thursday]. But the situation is still good. Vehicles on the road are not frozen yet," Dhaka North Traffic Inspector Shahid Chowdhury told The Business Standard yesterday evening. 

Azizul Haque, officer-in-charge at Savar Highway Police Station, said the road from Aminbazar to Kalampur also experienced an increased pressure of traffic on the day. Talking to TBS, local people said major traffic jams have been created in the Chandra area of Gazipur and some other areas.

Gridlocks around terminals intensify sufferings

The capital has taken on quite an unusual appearance on the day where some streets appear almost deserted while roads leading to bus terminals are completely packed. 

Commuters reported it took extra hours to enter different bus terminals in the capital. Many who had purchased tickets in advance to head on over to their loved ones for the Eid holidays reportedly missed their buses due to being stuck in heavy traffic. 

Near the Mohakhali Bus Terminal area, rows of buses were seen parked on the main road, leaving little space for vehicles to pass. "The terminal has the capacity to park 400 buses, but around 800 buses operate from there every day, and the number now exceeds 1,000. So, the additional number of buses take to street parking," Abul Kalam, president of the Mohakhali Inter-District Bus Owners Association, told TBS and added that some buses were parked to look for passengers.

Md Munibur Rahman, additional commissioner (traffic) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the number of trips from Dhaka to different parts of the country has been doubled to meet the demand for public transport. "Traffic policemen were instructed not to allow any buses to be parked at the entry points, but some buses are not complying with the instructions," he said.

Overcharged fares

Bus fare from Mohakhali to Mymensingh is fixed at Tk320, but on the occasion of Eid, passengers are charged Tk500, passengers have said. Several buses including Soukhin, Alam Asia, Baram and Imam were seen charging extra fares.

Non-AC bus fare from Sayedabad to Barisal is Tk500-550. However, on Thursday morning, most of the buses including Hanif, Shyamoli, Sakura, BMF, and Golden Line, charged Tk700-800 from passengers.

Asked about the irregularities, a ticket seller at the Hanif counter said, "This is the fare at this time. It's your choice, no matter what you think. There are plenty of passengers."

Ekushey Express on the Sayedabad-Noakhali route was seen charging Tk600 instead of the regular fare of Tk540. A ticket seller at a Dhaka counter said, "This is the decision of the bus owner. We have nothing to do about this."

Mazharul Islam, officer-in-charge at Tejgaon Industrial Police station, said no one filed complaints against extra fare, which is why they could not take action.

BRTA officials said Miami Paribahan and Asia Aircon have been fined Tk2,000 and Tk4,000 by its magistrate for charging extra from passengers. 

Motorcycles again on Padma Bridge

Motorcycles have been allowed to run on the Padma Bridge again after being banned the day after its inauguration.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has announced that motorcycles will be allowed to travel on the bridge as an Eid gift from the premier to the holidaymakers. "During the Ecnec meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina suddenly decided that motorcycles would be allowed to ply on the Padma Bridge on the occasion of Eid. However, specific rules need to be put in place."

"For example, motorcycles must be driven at a speed of 60 kmph. They cannot stop on the bridge to take pictures, and lanes cannot be changed under any circumstances," the minister said while visiting the toll plaza of the bridge on Thursday.

"We faced some issues and were forced to stop the movement of motorcycles, but with the passage of time, we believe that people have developed a better sense of order and responsibility," Quader added.

The minister expressed his hope that everyone who will be travelling on motorcycles over the bridge will do so in a responsible manner.

Passenger pressure on trains increases 

On Thursday, the passenger pressure on trains increased significantly. There was a scramble at the Kamalapur Railway Station for tickets to travel without seats.

Only those who were able to purchase tickets online on 10 April were allowed to travel on trains yesterday. However, many people who do not have smartphones or internet access or were unable to buy tickets in time came to the station hoping to travel on standing tickets.

The authorities decided to sell 25% standing tickets for every train due to massive pressure from passengers. However, the move still left hundreds behind who were unable to purchase tickets, despite waiting in lines for more than three hours.

At 11am Thursday, around 2,500 people interested in buying standing tickets were seen at the station.

Kamalapur Station Manager Masud Sarwar said that the demand for standing tickets was around 2,000, while the allotment was for more or less 200 tickets on each train. As a result, many had to return empty-handed.

Meanwhile, the Chattogram-bound Sonar Bangla Express departed from Kamalapur station more than three hours behind schedule. All other trains of the day left almost at their scheduled times.