May Allah bless Eid holidaymakers!

With Eid-ul-Fitr around the corner, city dwellers have begun leaving the capital to celebrate the largest Muslim festival with their near and dear ones. According to an estimate of the Ministry of Road Transport & Bridges, around 15 to 20 million people will leave Dhaka before Eid. Usually, several factors such as ticket availability, traffic congestion and road safety concerns cast a shadow over the Eid excitement of homebound travellers. This year, the shortage of fuel oil has added to these recurring worries. Although the government maintains that the country has an adequate reserve of petroleum oil, panic buying has continued, leading to long queues of vehicles at filling stations across the country. To tackle panic buying, the government has imposed a limit on fuel purchases. However, the government's latest announcement of lifting the restriction may improve the situation.
Amid the chaos and commotion over fuel shortages, what lies in store for long-haul travellers is hard to imagine. For example, a bus travelling on the Dhaka-Cox's Bazar route requires around 350 litres of diesel for a round trip. Earlier, as bus operators say, they would fill the tank with about 400 litres before embarking on a trip to avoid refuelling on the way. Since the crisis began, it has become difficult to purchase 100 litres of diesel at a time. Long-haul buses are, therefore, required to refuel midway through the journey. But what if buses have to wait in long lines at fuel stations, or worse still, if pumps along the route run dry? The authorities concerned should take preemptive measures to prevent such a nightmare scenario for Eid holidaymakers.
The fear of traffic congestion also lingers due to poor road conditions. As the train services are insufficient, most people will be required to travel by bus, private car or even motorcycle. The heavy rush of traffic is likely to cause severe congestion on highways, particularly the Tangail-Rangpur and Dhaka-Sylhet routes, due to ongoing expansion work. Prolonged construction work of Dhaka-Ashulia expressway has already become a major nuisance for travellers to the northern districts. 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. Similarly, the expansion work of the Dhaka-Sylhet highway has been progressing at a snail's pace for years, reportedly due to complexities over land acquisition. Traffic congestion on this route may also push travellers to their endurance limits. Moreover, 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.
Meanwhile, much ink has 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 are tantamount to plain murder. Yet all pleas to make the roads safe have fallen on deaf ears. So, matters must improve quickly in several areas to ensure a safe and hassle-free journey for holidaymakers. Otherwise, only blessings from heaven can save them.