Gazipur highways turn quieter on Eid eve as homebound rush eases

Traffic flowed smoothly on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways, though some buses could not leave on time due to a lack of passengers

Homebound travel has continued on Gazipur’s highways on the day before Eid, although roads were noticeably less crowded and some buses were unable to leave on time because of a shortage of passengers.

While traffic largely moved normally on both the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways on Friday morning, a small build-up was seen at Chandana Chowrasta, where roadside parking and passengers getting on and off vehicles at random points slowed traffic briefly.

Around 7am, several vehicles were seen parked along the roadside at Chandana Chowrasta and in the Bhogra Peyara Bagan area, waiting for passengers.

The usually busy Chandra intersection, known as the gateway to northern Bangladesh, was also relatively quiet.

By 9am, traffic pressure had eased further and vehicle movement on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway returned to normal.

Bachchu Mia, an official at the Shyamoli Paribahan bus counter in the Bhogra Peyara Bagan area, said the rush of Eid travellers seen over the previous few days had dropped sharply on Friday.

“Over the past few days there was heavy pressure from passengers heading home for Eid, but Friday is much quieter,” he said. “Public transport is available, but the number of passengers is very limited.”

He added that some buses were failing to depart at their scheduled times because of the lower passenger count.

Nawjor Highway Police Inspector Md Sawgatul Alam said traffic congestion at the Chandra intersection and surrounding parts of the Dhaka-Tangail Highway had started easing from Thursday afternoon.

“Since Friday morning, vehicles have been moving through the area at a normal pace,” he said, adding that passengers were relieved to be able to reach their destinations without difficulty.

Mawna Highway Police Inspector Md Kamruzzaman said there had been heavy passenger and vehicle pressure on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway until around 3am on Friday.

“After that, the situation became much more normal,” he said.

Abdul Hamid, a trader travelling to Rangpur, said he had sent the rest of his family home two days earlier but had been unable to travel himself because of personal commitments.

He said he expected to reach Rangpur quickly as there was no traffic congestion on the road.

Gazipur Metropolitan Police Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Traffic Amrita Sutradhar said there had been crowds of homebound travellers until Thursday evening, but traffic on the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways had since dropped to below normal levels.

Although some people were still leaving for their village homes on Friday morning, they were travelling without disruption, he said.

Passengers were also heading to their destinations smoothly from Chandana Chowrasta, an area usually prone to congestion, he added.