Mass exodus causes huge tailbacks

Thousands of people taking advantage of 8-day ease of strict restrictions announced by the government despite the surge in Covid-19 from July 15 to 23 have started departing Dhaka to celebrate the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha with their kith and kin in the far flung areas of the country. 

With the next 14-day lockdown set to take effect from July 23 to August 5, mass exodus from Dhaka was witnessed on Saturday with people hoping to enjoy a longer leave than the normal Eid holidays every year. A great many people thronged different departure points like ferry, launch and bus terminals to catch various modes of transportations to reach their destinations.   

Bus and launch terminals were filled with passengers. Many of the home-goers did not even wear face masks.

There was no vacant seat in most of the buses and launches though the government had directed the operators to run those at half-capacity. Only a handful of the bus operators followed the instructions.

The buses remained stuck in tailbacks on highways for hours after leaving the capital. Officials said a huge rush of vehicles caused the gridlocks.

The situation at the railway stations was comparatively good. Trains left the capital's Kamalapur station with half of their seats vacant.

Visiting the city's Gabtali bus terminal on Saturday morning, crowds were seen in front of the ticket counters. A large number of them were without any face masks.

Failing to get tickets, many passengers desperately moved from one counter to another.

Bus operators said some of them stopped selling tickets as they were struggling to maintain their schedule due to the traffic gridlocks on highways.

"We can't sell tickets as buses are failing to reach the terminals on time," Nurul Islam, a staffer of Hanif Paribahan, told this newspaper at Gabtoli bus terminal.

Failing to get bus tickets, many passengers rented microbuses and started for their destinations sharing the ride, ignoring physical distancing.

The situation was almost similar at Paturia terminal in Manikganj.

A launch named "Tajmahal" left the terminal around 2:00pm with around 150 passengers on board. It had the capacity to carry 127 passengers and as per the government instructions, it was supposed to carry a maximum of 65 passengers.

"Launch operators are charging extra, saying they have to keep half the seats vacant. At the same time, they are taking additional passengers on board. They are taking all types of advantage," said Sadeque Hossain, a Rajbari-bound passenger.

There was a huge pressure of passengers at Paturia terminal while Daulatdia terminal had to deal with shipments of a large number of sacrificial animals being brought to the capital.

A long tailback was created near the Bangabandhu bridge on the Dhaka-Tangail highway that connects the northern region. Elsewhere, vehicles were seen moving slowly too.

The heavy traffic on the highway enhanced the suffering of the passengers bound for their homes to spend Eid holidays with their near and dear ones, said on-duty police personnel. 

An almost 30-kilometre-tailback was there in the area between Bangabandhu Bridge and Ashekpur Bypass in Tangail Sadar. 

“The vehicles are running at a snail’s pace due to excessive number and also ongoing renovation work of the road especially on the western side of the Bangabandhu Bridge up to Sirajganj bypass,” Jane Alam Bhiyan, a traffic inspector in Tangail said to this correspondent. 

However, despite the high traffic pressure, there is no such congestion reported on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. 

On Thursday, the government allowed all types of public transports to operate across the country so that people can go home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest Muslim religious festival.

Meanwhile, although as many as 14 ferries and 82 launches were operating on the Shimulia-Banglabazar route on Saturday, the number of vessels was not enough to handle the passenger load.

The vessels are also operating at a slow pace due to the high tide on the Padma.

The exodus ahead of the Eid break has resulted in massive traffic congestion at the terminal. A long line of freight trucks was seen on Saturday while rows of trucks stood stationary at the Shimulia port ground. A few trucks have also lined up at Khan Bari Point.

A total of 17 ferries are scheduled to operate on the Shimulia-Banglabazar waterway, according to Shafiqul Islam Chowdhury, BIWTC's co-general manager.

But three ferries could not make their scheduled trips across the river due to strong currents. It has become difficult to handle the increasing pressure of homebound people as thousands of vehicles lay stranded on both sides of the port.

Many people have been unable to cross the Padma even after arriving at the port early in the morning, said Shafiqul. The situation has led to increased traffic jam and chaos.

“The lockdown was relaxed, but the number of ferries has not been increased. We keep waiting for hours. The passengers are not following health protocols, which is increasing the risk of coronavirus infection,” Gopalganj-bound 'Sohana' said.