Many passengers were seen entering the capital through Sadarghat Launch Terminal, Kamalalpur Railway Station and different bus terminals.
People travelled smoothly to the capital as the highways and ferry ghats did not witness excessive rush yesterday, according to transport operators and passengers.
However, fear of long tailbacks on the highways in next two to three days persists when traffic flow will intensify.
Osman Ali, general secretary of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation, believes passengers are likely to suffer much from now on since incessant rains might have severely damaged different roads.
On Thursday and Friday ahead of Eid, thousands of home-goers went through indescribable sufferings as their vehicles got stuck in long tailbacks on the Dhaka-Tangail and Gazipur-Tangail highways.
Talking about the current situation, Abul Kalam, president of bus owners association of Mohakhali bus terminal, said as the public rush was low and no gridlock was created as of yesterday. But severe traffic congestion may hit the roads in two days, he warned.
“People have started coming back. Although few seats of our buses were empty today [Monday], all of our seats are booked from tomorrow [Tuesday] to next four to five days,” said Mosharraf Hossain, general manager of Hanif Paribahan.
During visits to Gabtoli and Mohakhali bus terminals yesterday, people were seen returning to Dhaka with smiling faces that reflect the joyous moments they have been through in last few days with beloved family members.
“All of our cousins and relatives get together once in every year during the Eid-ul-Fitr. We had a lot of fun this time and now returned to our normal busy life,” said Rowshan Haque, an employee of a private company, who came from Jessore to Gabtoli yesterday afternoon.
Almost the same scenario was noticed at Kamalapur. Those who travelled by train yesterday had to buy advance tickets on July 16.
However, launches have got comparatively fewer passengers so far due to incessant rain and rough weather.
“Today, I did not see excessive passengers on the launches. The number of passengers was almost equal to that of normal time,” Rony Ghosh, who travelled from Munshiganj to Sadarghat, told The Daily Star.
Many passengers thronged the launch ghat early in the morning to board a vessel, but more returned to Dhaka by buses and trains, reports our Chandpur correspondent.
Ferry services at Mawa-Kawarakandi and Paturia-Dauladia routes were smooth and traffic flow was normal, said officials at both the terminals.
Source: The Daily Star
