Dhaka: People have been returning to the capital comfortably after celebrating Eid ul-Fitr with their near and dear ones in villages. Pressure of Dhaka-bound passengers has been increasing since this morning. Passengers arriving from different districts packed incoming trains, many travelling with their families to resume work in Dhaka.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, a large number of returning passengers chose to come back early to avoid last-minute pressure. While many travelled with family members, others returned alone to rejoin their workplaces ahead of schedule. Visiting Jatrabari, Sayedabad, and Gabtoli bus terminals, it was found that people, who were coming to Dhaka after celebrating Eid, expressed their satisfaction over the journey as they did not face any major hurdles on highways.
The Jatrabari-Sayedabad area is now bustling with people returning to workplaces from villages, carrying luggage, bags, and sacks. Besides, the government has taken various measures to ensure a smooth journey and security on highways during the long Eid holidays.
Different transport services were coming to Dhaka from Chattogram, Noakhali, Feni, Cumilla, Chandpur, Barishal, Khulna, and Patuakhali, full of passengers. Azizur Rahman, who returned from Cox’s Bazar with his family on the ‘Tourist Express’, said he decided to come back a day earlier despite his office reopening on Tuesday. “If I had returned tomorrow morning, I might have still managed to join work on time. But I came early thinking it would be difficult for my family to rush,” he said after arriving at around 8:15 am.
A similar situation was observed at Sadarghat launch terminal, where many passengers were coming from the southern districts of Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna, Chandpur, Shariatpur, and Madaripur by motor launches. Meanwhile, not all passengers were returning to Dhaka. A noticeable number of people were still leaving the capital on the third day of Eid, hoping to spend time with family or travel within the country after the main festive period.
Earlier, from March 17, Dhaka had witnessed a mass exodus as people left the city to celebrate Eid with their loved ones. Transport hubs, including bus terminals, railway stations, and launch ghats, were overwhelmed with passengers. With government and private offices set to reopen tomorrow (March 24), the capital is now seeing the reverse flow, as workers steadily return.