FE Today Logo

Advance ticket sales start tomorrow

MUNIMA SULTANA | April 06, 2023 00:00:00


Bus and train operators are set to start selling tickets in advance for Eid trips of home-bound passengers starting from April 16.

However, preparations for safe journey are yet to start by the authorities concerned, although hundreds of thousands of people are expected to leave Dhaka city.

Every year, most of Dhaka's residents head for their roots back in villages to celebrate the largest Muslim festival with their dear and near ones.

The Bangladesh Railways (BR) declared that it could manage to carry 28,778 passengers with its train services during Eid holidays.

The rail authorities have already announced to sell all tickets of all intercity trains online 10 days before scheduled trips.

As per the announcement, tickets will be sold for journey from April 17.

The BR schedule shows 07 April will sell tickets for 17 April trip, 08 April for 18 April, 09 April for 19 April, 10 April for 20 April and 11 April for 21 April.

However, the sale will continue if the Eid schedule changes depending on the sighting of the moon.

However, the Bus-Truck Owners Association will start selling bus tickets from all terminals for Eid journeys starting from April 16.

"Tickets for buses bound for northern districts will be sold from Friday for travelling any day from April 16," Shuvongkor Ghosh Rakesh, joint secretary of the association, told the FE.

According to this transport leader, people bound for western districts usually do not face a dearth of bus tickets.

Mr Rakesh of Shyamoli Paribahan said the association has no idea about the number of homeward passengers this year, but all buses are used to meet the demand.

Sources said road transport and bridges ministry have yet to hold meetings with stakeholders to make Eid trips safe.

But road transport and highways division secretary AMB Amin Ullah Nuri told the FE that they have a plan to deploy magistrates to make trips safe.

However, verbal communications are ongoing to this end.

Meanwhile, a meeting has been held to ensure smooth traffic on Mohakhali-Airport-Uttara-Gazipur route as the public has been suffering unbearably for the past six seven years for ongoing bus corridor construction.

Sources said the meeting called for a halt to frequent pick-and-drop bus services after leaving respective terminals.

Representatives of two city corporations, additional police commissioner (traffic) and additional executive director of Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority, among others, attended the meeting.

When asked about inadequate measures, secretary Nuri said divisional commissioners would sit next week while road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader will virtually meet all concerned, including highway police DIGs, to ensure safe journey.

Other authorities concerned are also busy making decisions like issuance of Eid vacations for ready-made garment workers in phases, he added.

Mr Rakesh said they will deploy monitoring teams at all terminals for checking black marketing of bus tickets. Besides, the police administration will have their monitoring teams on the ground.

[email protected]


Share if you like