Eid travel is a challenge this year, says Road Transport Minister Rabiul

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam says he considers Eid travel a challenge this year.

He spoke to the media after visiting the Mohakhali Bus Terminal on Wednesday afternoon.

The minister said, "Taking everything into consideration, this Eid journey seems like a big challenge to me. You know that 15 million people will travel from Dhaka to their destination within two to three days, even to remote areas."

"So, with so many people and animals, we have tried to do our best according to our transport sector's ability. I can say that with confidence and I think you will not be confused by it.”

“All I can say is that overall we have managed good Eid journeys.”

He said, “Everyone wants to (make a profit) from Eid… Now there’s a huge rush as a large number of passengers travel. Some people try to make some extra money. This is an underlying tendency. You cannot change this tendency overnight; you cannot change the innate criminality in people overnight. If certain preventive practices... like not allowing extra fare payment publicly or making it mandatory to charge fixed fare at the counters and bus stands, are implemented and made  habitual, that criminality will gradually disappear. We’ll be able to come out of that tendency.”

"We aren’t allowing any misdeeds. Wherever we receive a complaint, we take action, we hand them fines. This is a message. Those who are in control of the transport sector take advantage of travellers’ weakness because they feel they must go to their village homes at any cost. Their dear ones wait for them and the holiday has begun. Capitalising on this feeling, transport sector people used to rip them off them indiscriminately. We have stopped that. Some sporadic incidents are still taking place. Gradually they will be stopped as well.”