People start returning to capital in large numbers

After the prolonged Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja holidays people are returning to the capital after celebrating the two religious festivals with their near and dear ones in their native villages and towns. This year, the holidays were especially long as Durga Puja holiday, the biggest festival of Hindus, preceded Eid-ul-Azha, the 2nd largest festival of Muslims, by a couple of days. The official holidays ended on Wednesday, but as the Bangladesh weekend starts from Friday, many are extending their holidays to include it as well. The supervisor of a leading private transport company which runs passenger buses in different inter-district routes said that passengers have been returning in large numbers since Thursday morning after about a week-long-holiday. He expected bigger rush on Friday and the day after. Abidul Islam, a businessman, who returned to Dhaka from Gaibandha, said there is hardly any traffic congestion on the highways, which he had apprehended. Abdul Wahab, a government employee, said that he had gone and returned from Chittagong for the holidays without much trouble. The trains he had boarded were on time. Rasheda Khatun, a garment employee, said she arrived at Sadarghat Launch Terminal from Barisal without much of a hassle. Surprisingly, she added, there was little trouble going to Barisal, either, according to a news agency.