City dwellers brave hazardous journey home ahead of Eid
Tuesday, 30 September 2008
FE Report
The exodus of city dwellers to celebrate Eid in their hometowns increased with officials and employees of government and private organisations attending their last day in office Monday.
The public holiday starts from tomorrow (Tuesday) followed by the week-end.
Severe traffic congestion and large gatherings in the bus terminals, railway stations and Sadarghat launch terminal were witnessed throughout the day as people from all walks of life were making their way out of the capital.
The traffic personnel and law enforcing agencies had to face severe trouble in tackling the situation in the city that also hampered commercial and business activities. At the Gabtoli bus terminal thousands of people with family members were waiting for buses to go to their homes in the north and north-western districts.
Nasreen, a Dinajpur-bound passenger with her eight-month child said: "We have been waiting for two hours but our scheduled bus has not yet arrived."
Rofiq Ahmed, a government officer with his four family members, said: "I had to pay extra Tk 100 for each ticket. But we could not start our journey even after waiting for three hours.
The bus counter people are not saying when our scheduled bus will leave the city.
"The monitoring by law enforcing agencies in the bus terminals, Kamalapur railway station and the Sadarghat launch terminal in the city was insufficient, aggrieved passengers claimed.
Mahbub Hossain, a waiting passenger at Kamalapur Railway station alleged that the salesmen in the station refused to sell tickets saying all were finished. "But I have seen some black marketeer beside the station selling tickets at high price."
"I complained to the law enforcing people in the station. But they did not pay any heed," he said.
The launch passengers at the Sadarghat terminal were also seen scrambling for a place even on the deck by paying extra money. Overcrowded vessels were seen leaving the Sadarghat launch terminal, with some launches taking passengers from boats in midstream to avoid the patrol teams.
"I have procured two tickets for extra Tk 300. I will now grab a place on the launch deck for going to my village home to celebrate the Eid," a Barisal-bound passenger Hassan said.
The exodus of city dwellers to celebrate Eid in their hometowns increased with officials and employees of government and private organisations attending their last day in office Monday.
The public holiday starts from tomorrow (Tuesday) followed by the week-end.
Severe traffic congestion and large gatherings in the bus terminals, railway stations and Sadarghat launch terminal were witnessed throughout the day as people from all walks of life were making their way out of the capital.
The traffic personnel and law enforcing agencies had to face severe trouble in tackling the situation in the city that also hampered commercial and business activities. At the Gabtoli bus terminal thousands of people with family members were waiting for buses to go to their homes in the north and north-western districts.
Nasreen, a Dinajpur-bound passenger with her eight-month child said: "We have been waiting for two hours but our scheduled bus has not yet arrived."
Rofiq Ahmed, a government officer with his four family members, said: "I had to pay extra Tk 100 for each ticket. But we could not start our journey even after waiting for three hours.
The bus counter people are not saying when our scheduled bus will leave the city.
"The monitoring by law enforcing agencies in the bus terminals, Kamalapur railway station and the Sadarghat launch terminal in the city was insufficient, aggrieved passengers claimed.
Mahbub Hossain, a waiting passenger at Kamalapur Railway station alleged that the salesmen in the station refused to sell tickets saying all were finished. "But I have seen some black marketeer beside the station selling tickets at high price."
"I complained to the law enforcing people in the station. But they did not pay any heed," he said.
The launch passengers at the Sadarghat terminal were also seen scrambling for a place even on the deck by paying extra money. Overcrowded vessels were seen leaving the Sadarghat launch terminal, with some launches taking passengers from boats in midstream to avoid the patrol teams.
"I have procured two tickets for extra Tk 300. I will now grab a place on the launch deck for going to my village home to celebrate the Eid," a Barisal-bound passenger Hassan said.