As Eid-ul-Azha approaches, millions of people are preparing to leave Dhaka to celebrate the festival with their loved ones in villages and towns across the country. For many, Eid journey is an emotional homecoming filled with joy, reunion and religious significance. However, the excitement of Eid travel is once again being overshadowed by fears of traffic congestion, poor road conditions and deadly road accidents. With an estimated 15 to 20 million people expected to leave the capital before Eid, the pressure on the country's transport system is set to intensify. The alarming number of road accidents recorded during the last Eid-ul-Fitr travel period has further heightened safety concerns, making safe and smooth travel one of the biggest challenges ahead during Eid celebrations.
Given the inadequacy of railway services, the overwhelming majority of travellers will depend on buses, private vehicles and motorcycles. Such dependence on road transport would have been manageable had the expansion work on the highways been completed on time, effective alternative measures taken and traffic management strengthened in advance. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Several major highways are now plagued by prolonged construction work, poor maintenance and inadequate coordination, threatening to turn Eid journeys into another ordeal.
The Dhaka-Ashulia expressway construction has already made travel to northern districts extremely difficult. Travel time on this route is already three times longer than normal because of the construction work, and one can only imagine the severity of gridlock in the days leading up to Eid. Likewise, the long-delayed six-lane expansion of the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway has become a glaring example of poor project execution and administrative inefficiency. One of the country's most important transport corridors remains riddled with potholes, damaged sections, dust pollution and chronic congestion, reportedly due to complications surrounding land acquisition.
Reportedly, the situation in areas surrounding Narayanganj and Demra is especially alarming. Roads in these industrial belts have deteriorated to such an extent that vehicles frequently become stranded in potholes, causing massive traffic jams and heightening accident risks. Thousands of garment workers and labourers are reportedly being forced to walk long distances because of the poor condition of the road. Development work inevitably causes temporary setbacks, but when projects drag on and people are made to suffer endlessly, it only smacks of the authorities' indifference to public suffering.
The government's move to extend holidays and arranging phased factory closures can somewhat reduce pressure on highways. During the last Eid-ul-Fitr, longer holidays helped ease congestion. This time too, the authorities have once again opted for factory closures in phases. However, such measures can only provide temporary relief. They cannot compensate for poor infrastructure planning, slow project implementation and weak traffic management.
The suffering of travellers on highways reflects a broader governance failure in the country's transport sector. Not only expansion work is extremely slow, but also regular maintenance is neglected until roads become nearly unusable. In many cases, development projects continue for years without adequate coordination, effective traffic management or measures to reduce public suffering during construction. Contractors and implementing agencies are rarely held accountable for delays, substandard work or the immense hardship imposed on commuters.
Meanwhile, if slow-moving vehicles are not prevented from plying on the highways and illegal stands and roadside markets removed in earnest, travellers to most destinations are likely to face severe congestion. Much ink has also been spilled urging the authorities to keep unfit vehicles off the roads, enforce speed limits and monitor highways to check traffic rule violators, as the accidents they cause tantamount to plain murder. So, matters must improve quickly in several areas to ensure a safe and hassle-free journey for holidaymakers.
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