Traffic builds up on Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway as Eid exodus gains traction

The number of passengers and vehicles using the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway has gone up, but there haven't been any significant traffic hold-ups

People have started to head back to their village homes to celebrate the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr holidays with their families. The onset of the perennial Eid exodus is marked by the increase in traffic load on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway.

The highway has been busier than usual since Friday morning, the first day of the weekend.

Gazipur Metropolitan Police Assistant Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) Ashok Kumar Pal said that the number of vehicles and homebound travellers using the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway began rising from Thursday afternoon when factories closed for the holidays. The traffic thinned a little in the evening, before picking up again from 8pm to 1:30am.

A visit to the area revealed a marked uptick in the number of Mymensingh-bound vehicles travelling on and beneath the Chandana Intersection Flyover in Gazipur around 7:30am on Friday. Factory workers and holidaymakers have been gathering in small groups at the bus stands since morning, punctuated by frantic jostles to board buses whenever one arrived.

'EXTRA FARES' PEEVE TRAVELLERS

Passengers have, however, complained that transport authorities were charging fares above the usual rates for homebound journeys during Eid.

Abu Bakkar, a garment factory worker was waiting at the Chandana Intersection for a Shyamoli Paribahan bus to travel to Mymensingh’s Haluaghat. He could not start for his village home on Thursday despite his factory having closed for the Eid holidays. He is now looking to home with his family, but the fare for the trip has "doubled" in a day, he said.

“It usually costs Tk 300 to reach Haluaghat. On Friday morning, transport workers were asking for Tk 600 to Tk 700. I haggled and paid Tk 600 per ticket and got on the bus.”

Autorickshaws waiting at the Chandana intersection were also charging additional fares. They charged Tk 600 to Tk 700 for each passenger headed to Kishoreganj. The usual fare is around Tk 300, according to travellers.

AUTORICKSHAWS ON THE HIGHWAY

Battery-powered autorickshaw drivers also appeared to be flouting the directives issued by the police ahead of the Eid travel period. Autorickshaws were found to roam freely from Bhogra-Bypass Mor to Chandana intersection on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway around 7am on Friday.

Drivers were also charging additional fares. Previously, passengers had to pay Tk 10 to travel from the Vogra-Bypass Mor to Chandana intersection. But now, the rate has doubled.

"If bus operators can charge extra fares, what's so wrong if we do too?" said Razzak Mia, an autorickshaw driver.

"We are unable to control autorickshaws running on the highway as we have a small workforce. We can't tow them away either as the roads are crowded. Hence, we are trying to restrict autorickshaw movement by puncturing their tyres," said ADC Ashok Kumar.

Md Ayub Ali, chief of Sreepur Maona Highway Police Station, said the number of passengers and vehicles travelling on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway had gone up on Friday, but there hadn't been any significant traffic hold-ups.