People are leaving capital Dhaka in their thousands as the Eid-ul-Fitr is likely to be celebrated in the country on Friday. Dhaka Metropolitan Police sources said some 50-60 lakh city dwellers are expected to leave Dhaka for their respective village home to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr with their near and dear ones.
Some of the passengers returned their tickets fearing they will not be able to return to Dhaka in time due to the August 13-14 countrywide shutdown called by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch Police (Public Relations) Masudur Rahman said nearly 40 lakh holidaymakers already left Dhaka for their village homes till today (Wednesday).
“We expect another 10-20 lakh people will leave Dhaka by tomorrow (Thursday),” he said. Replying to a question, DC Masud said people have been leaving Dhaka without facing any unpleasant incident due to the strict vigilance of the law enforcing agencies.
Close circuit TV cameras have been installed in major bus and launch terminals, including Gabtoli, Saidabad and Sadarghat. The CCTV cameras are being monitored round-the-clock from police sub-control rooms, he said.
People are going to their native places without any trouble this year as inter-district coaches have been maintaining their departure schedules. Visiting Gabtoli, Mohakhali and Saidabad bus terminals on Wednesday this correspondent found a different scenario there from the previous years.
This time there was no over crowding in front of different bus counters. In the past several years, homebound passengers ahead of Eid were seen waiting in long queues in front of different bus counters for their respective inter-district buses as those could not reach their destination in due time following heavy traffic congestion on the highways.
But, this year most of the buses reached their respective destination almost in due time amid absence of any traffic congestion on the highways. Kalam, an employee of Keya Paribahan at Gabtoli Bus Terminal, said that now passengers do not have to wait long at their counters like the previous years as each of their long haul coaches has been leaving the terminal almost as per schedule.
There is no traffic jam on the highways this year, he said. Kalam, however, said that a number of passengers returned their tickets as Jamaats called a countrywide hartal on August 13-14. They feared if they leave Dhaka, they might not be able to return to the city in time. Suja, a counter manager of SR Travel at Gabtoli bus terminal, also said that their buses have been leaving the terminal with passengers in time.
Abdul Majed, a supervisor of Keya Paribahan on Dhaka-Chittagong Route, said he returned to Gabtoli with his bus from Chittagong early Wednesday without seeing any noticeable traffic jam on the highway. Elora, a Jessore bound passenger at the SR Travel counter, said she was scheduled to leave for Jessore at 12:00 pm and her bus took position in front of the counter at 11:45 am.
Replying to a question, she said last year she had to wait for more than six hours in the terminal. But this time, a smiling Elora said she hopes to reach Jessore in due time. When this correspondent talked to a number of home bound passengers at Mohakhali and Saidabad bus terminals, they expressed their satisfaction as buses were leaving the terminals on schedule. – UNB
