Ensuring safe Eid journey

Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest festivals in Bangladesh, is just around the corner. During Eid festivals, a significant number of people want to spend time with their near and dear ones. And so they travel to different districts before the festival. It is a journey that often turns deadly because of accidents. Every year, lives -- at times scores and even hundreds -- are lost to road and river accidents during Eid as vehicles and vessels take passengers in excess and hike fares out of greed. The use of unfit vehicles and vessels - including freight transport - to carry passengers along with a lack of safety and emergency materials as well as fatigued drivers and transport workers can largely be blamed for such disasters. At least 285 people were killed and 454 others were injured in 240 road accidents in 14 days during Eid-ul-Fitr this year, according to a report of Road Safety Foundation.
We do not want any family to bear the loss of a loved one this Eid and would like to hope that the authorities concerned will take all necessary preparations so that home-bound people's Eid journey becomes safer, smoother and more hassle-free. Public awareness campaigns should also be launched to avoid people from travelling on the roofs of trains, buses, and launches.
Aadriana Mohin Aadri,
Student of Department of Finance and Marketing,
School of Business and Economics,
North South University, Dhaka,
aadrianamohin@gmail.com