Tens of thousands of home-goers lost much of their enthusiasm for celebrating a trouble-free Eid-ul-Azha with their near and dear ones as the surge in traffic jams brought hundreds of vehicles to a grinding halt on many key highways of the country.
There were delays in train departures from railway stations and overcrowding of launches at terminals. The excitement of the journey home faded for most of the passengers.
Especially, Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka Aricha highways used by the bulk of the home-goers were worse off as hundreds of vehicles got stuck in gridlocks since Thursday morning. For many, it took twice or more the usual time to reach home.
Traffic on Dhaka-Aricha Highway moved very slowly on Thursday afternoon. Several hundred vehicles were seen stranded on both sides of the Paturia-Daulatdia Ferry ghats for several hours.
Traffic on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway moved in snail's pace since morning and was yet to ease until filing of this report Thursday evening.
Tailbacks ensued on Dhaka-Tangail Highway, the major route to the Northern part of the country, on Thursday morning causing immense sufferings to the home-goers ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
Movement of vehicles stopped at different points of the highway because of the additional load of sacrificial cattle-laden lorries.
Mahbubul Alam Superintendent of Police in Tangail told our correspondent that around 700 policemen were deployed to ensure smooth passage of the public.
Meanwhile, our correspondent, quoting Sergeant Md Kamaruzzaman Raj of Bhaberchar Highway Police Outpost, said vehicles were stranded on a 13-kilometre stretch of the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway on Thursday morning,
The gridlock on the highway was seen from the Meghna Bridge to Meghna-Gomati Bridge in Comilla till filing of the report at 10:00am. "Police are trying to reduce the traffic jam," Kamaruzzaman said. Dhaka-Mawa Highway was relatively stress free until last reported.
The great Eid rush has picked up at the Kamalpur Railway Station in Dhaka on Thursday, the last working day before the holidays. Holiday-makers will, however, enjoy a six-day vacation due to the weekend -- Friday and Saturday.
Traffic movement at Gabtoli Bus Terminal was disrupted during the day due to the proximity of the largest cattle market in the capital there. Trucks carrying cows were parked haphazardly narrowing the road for other vehicles.
Eighteen trains departed from the Kamalapur Railway Station until 10:00am. Holidaymakers were seen waiting at the platforms, all smiling and cheering as they go home to spend their Eid vacation with friends and family.
"All trains departed on time except for the Rangpur Express," Station Manager Shitangshu Chakrabarty said.
Sixty-nine trains, including 32 Inter-City trains will carry around 50,000 passengers from Dhaka to their hometowns everyday between September 8 and 11, he added.
Throughout Thursday the Sadarghat Launch Terminal remained crowded with passengers bound for the Southern districts.
A number of launches were seen overloaded. There were passengers on the roofs of the vessels as well, violating the law.
