The capital, Dhaka, on Sunday started returning to its usual bustling following full resumption of work at offices and functioning of businesses after extended Eid-ul-Fitr and Independence Day holidays.
Government offices, banks, financial institutions, and courts resumed operations fully after the holidays.
By Sunday morning, the roads which remained relatively quiet during the vacation period were filled with ever familiar traffic congestion as office-goers and commuters got back to their routines.
Major transport hubs, including Kamalapur Railway Station, Sadarghat Launch Terminal, and various bus terminals (Gabtoli, Sayedabad, Mohakhali) also experienced high pressure of the returning passengers on Sunday.
Vising different areas including Jatrabari, Motijheel, Purana Paltan, Kamalapur, Malibagh, Mogbazar, Shahbagh, Agargaon, College Gate, Shymoli and Gabtoli, the FE correspondent found a large number of public buses, cars and CNG-run auto-rickshaws and bikes plying the roads.
Office-goers were seen waiting at different city points for catching buses to reach their destinations.
Most of the public transports (buses) were crowded.
Many were seen hanging on to the doors of moving buses on way to their workplaces.
To enforce discipline on roads, traffic police members were actively working at different key points.
Md Faisal Ahmed who was waiting for bus at Sanirakhra bus station told the FE that he came out of the house a little bit earlier to reach office on time and also to avoid overwhelming passenger crowd.
Abdul Halim, a private service holder told the FE at Motijheel Shapla Chhatar that he had reached his Motijheel office from his residence at Basila, Mohammadpur in the city by a bus which was full of passengers.
Apart from full functioning of government offices, banks and financial institutions saw substantial transactions on the day following an increased gathering of clients.
A high official at Islami Bank PLC, Malibagh branch told the FE that transactions were satisfactory following a sizable turnout of clients.
Meanwhile, traffic police personnel deployed on roads to ensure discipline told the FE that they were working seriously so that people did not suffer due to traffic jam on the city roads.
"We are not allowing public buses to stay at the same place for long time considering the increased number of buses, cars, bikes and other mode of transport on the roads," a traffic sergeant told the FE at Gulistan intersection on Sunday afternoon.
The government declared Eid-ul-Fitr holidays from March 17 to March 23. Offices of the government and autonomous institutions reopened on March 24 and 25, while March 26 was observed as Independence and National Day, extending the holiday period for many travellers.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com