Upcoming Eid journey feared to be bumpy

Authorities anticipate greater challenges in managing Eid traffic during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays compared to previous Eid vacations. This is primarily due to the increased two-way traffic of people returning home and vehicles transporting cattle to Dhaka, roadside cattle markets and the persistent rainfall.
The Highway Police has identified over 70 challenging points where they anticipate traffic congestion during the Eid holidays.
These concerns were discussed during a stakeholder meeting convened by the Road Transport and Highways Division at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority conference room on Thursday.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader chaired the meeting, which was attended by representatives from various government agencies. The objective of the meeting was to prepare themselves to address these issues effectively.
Participants included the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation, Dhaka South City Corporation, Dhaka North City Corporation, Additional Inspector General, Police Super and project directors of various highway development projects. Representatives from road transport owners and workers were also present.
The minister said that although the previous Eid journey was relatively comfortable, the upcoming Eid journey may not be the same due to rainfall, which would reduce the speed of vehicles.
He further mentioned that unfit vehicles, roadside cattle markets and slow-moving vehicles transporting cattle would worsen the traffic situation during the peak days before the Eid holidays.
Obaidul Quader, however, instructed all relevant parties, including the project directors of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and SASEC-2 projects, to ensure the usability of highways during the Eid holidays.
Referring to the BRT project as a "bone in the throat", he expressed concern over commuters facing significant difficulties due to even minor rainfall on the Dhaka airport-Gazipur route. He called for speeding up the project implementation.
Report by bdnews24.com adds: CNG filling stations will remain open 24 hours for a total of 15 days before and after Eid-ul-Azha to ensure smooth travels for holidaymakers.
"The filling stations will be open 24 hours for seven days before Eid-ul-Azha and seven days after that. Pumps will remain open on Eid day," Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader said in a preparatory meeting at the BRTA office on Thursday.

smunima@yahoo.com