City dwellers began leaving Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon after the government declared a four-day holiday for Durga Puja, the largest annual festival for Bengali Hindus.
By Wednesday, streams of passengers continued to pour out of the capital through various terminals, though many faced long delays as heavy traffic clogged highways, reports bdnews24.com.
The outflow of holidaymakers left Dhaka visibly quieter than usual.
Today (Thursday) has been designated a public holiday for the festival, with the government adding Wednesday to the schedule by executive order. With Friday and Saturday forming the regular weekend, many seized the chance for an extended break.
Since Tuesday afternoon, scores of passengers have been boarding buses bound for districts across the country.
At the Mohakhali Inter-District Bus Terminal, buses were departing for Mymensingh, Tangail and Kishoreganj.
By Wednesday afternoon, long queues had formed at ticket counters.
"I got a long leave. Hence, I thought I would take my family home to visit," said Sohel Rana, waiting to travel on the Mymensingh route. "There was a lot of traffic yesterday afternoon, so I am leaving today."
Nearby, Kausar Ahmed stood in line at the counter for United Paribahan's air-conditioned buses. "I have been standing for about an hour, but there is no bus," he said.
"The counter informed me that a bus is leaving Bhogra. I am waiting for that bus."
Rabiul Islam, counter manager of Rajib Paribahan, which operates on the Jamalpur route, said the flow of passengers had already peaked.
"People are going home for the puja holidays, so there was a bit of a crowd yesterday. It hasn't been as busy today," he said.
Mahmudul Hasan, manager of Ujanbhati Paribahan on the Kishoreganj route, noted that while the puja holiday rush was noticeable, it was still less intense than during Eid.
On the highways, however, the pressure of outbound traffic was evident.
From the Signboard area on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway to Kanchpur and Sonargaon, jams persisted into Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rainfall overnight, combined with a truck breakdown in the Darikandi area of Sonargaon, worsened congestion on the Chattogram-bound lane.
Frustrated passengers vented their experiences on social media. In the Facebook group Traffic Alert, which tracks highway conditions, travellers shared accounts of hours lost on the road.
"I left Wari at 9am. It is now 2:19pm, just reached Kanchpur," wrote Saimun Noor. "It took two and a half hours to reach Kanchpur from Sayedabad."
Another commuter, Mahmudul Hasan Khan, described an even longer ordeal.
"I boarded the bus from Arambagh at 2am last night. I only reached Satkania at 2:15pm today," he posted.
For some, the delays carried personal costs.
Journalist Gaziul Haque Shohag said he had rushed to Dhaka on Tuesday for an urgent matter but boarded a return bus at 1:30am after hearing of his father's illness.
"I reached Vaber Char in Munshiganj at 5am," he wrote, describing how he spent hours stranded in sweltering heat. "There is no fan. The windows are also closed. The seats are wobbly. Mosquitoes are biting. The sound of snoring next to me, on top of the sound of reels from mobile phones. When will I reach Cumilla? My mother has dengue. God knows when I will get there."
Abdul Qadir Jilani, chief of Kanchpur Highway Police Station, acknowledged the strain.
"Due to the puja holidays, there is a lot of traffic on the road," he said Wednesday afternoon. "The number of cars is increasing, not decreasing. It rained a lot last night. In addition, a car was damaged in the early hours of the morning, its effects are still there. We are trying to normalise the situation."
Traffic congestion also spread to other highways, including Kanchpur to Borpa on the Dhaka-Sylhet route and Madanpur and Mirertek Bastal on the Dhaka bypass road, compounding the difficulties for holiday travellers.
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