By: Navalsang Parmar (Dhaka)
Tens of thousands of people left Dhaka and adjacent districts on weekends for their ancestral villages and hometowns by all modes of transport as the Eid-ul-Fitr draws near.
This year, the Eid holiday will merge with another national festival of Bangladesh, Pahela Boishakh, the first day on the traditional Bangla calendar. Thus, there will be almost a week long public holiday in Bangladesh starting from April 10. It is expected that the Eid will be held on April 11 in Bangladesh.
Passengers in large numbers were seen rushing to Dhaka railway station, and bus and launch terminals to avoid last-hour hassle and chaos.
Thousands of homebound people left Dhaka on Friday and Saturday while many more will leave the capital in coming days.
Various stretches of the highway reported long ques of vehicles leaving Dhaka. The home-goers suffered inordinate delays as traffic crawled on these highway stretches due to heavy rush of vehicles.
According to an estimate, around 15 million people, two-thirds of greater Dhaka inhabitants may travel to other parts of Bangladesh to celebrate Eid.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Sunday assured the Eid holiday makers that there will be no traffic congestion on highways this time.
According to sources, the government has deployed security personnel, including police, at Kamalapur railway station, and bus and launch terminals to ensure safety and security of the homebound passengers.
