Eid home-going woes

The picture of scores of people waiting at a bus, launch or train terminal with the hope of going back home for Eid holidays is an old one. Every year, the major religious celebration of the country is usually preceded by an interminable suffering for the travelling people. The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, BJKS, held a seminar in this regard with speakers expressing concern over the reported movement of around five crore people. It’s believed that only from Dhaka, one and a half crore people will be going out to celebrate Eid with 60 lakh people taking the bus followed by 38 lakh via waterways, seven lakh by rail, one lakh by air and eight lakh by private cars.

This will indeed be a massive logistical operation. If we take the 100-km long tailback on the Chittagong Road a few weeks earlier, which resulted in immeasurable suffering for passengers on buses and cars, there is valid reason to be worried about the possible condition in the coming days.

The Dhaka Chittagong road is the most used highway that leads to several other districts and though preventing a tailback will be an impractical expectation, with forward planning, the government will be able to ensure a smooth ride home without much difficulty. The role of course has to be played by the highway police plus several district administrations, which can be active in dealing with illegal toll collectors and roadside shops.

In the rail sector, the carriages are old, raising fears of failed train schedules. At this point, with Eid only a fortnight away, the best possible action would be to ensure that existing trains are in working order. The country has already experienced long spells in heavy tempestuous weather which underlines the need to follow a stringent safety guideline for launches carrying holidaymakers. The pressure to go back home from people may prompt launch owners to neglect the safety aspect. Laxity in this matter cannot be allowed.

If there is a catastrophe on water, the government will be blamed in the end for not being tough about safety. As for air travel, private airlines’ will have to offer round the clock trips with special late night flights. Again, the safety factor comes to the fore with the Nepal air crash still hanging over our heads. Realistically speaking, in such a rush home of biblical proportions, strategic planning highlighting security issues can alleviate a lot of the

Eid home-going woes

The picture of scores of people waiting at a bus, launch or train terminal with the hope of going back home for Eid holidays is an old one. Every year, the major religious celebration of the country is usually preceded by an interminable suffering for the travelling people. The Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, BJKS, held a seminar in this regard with speakers expressing concern over the reported movement of around five crore people. Its believed that only from Dhaka, one and a half crore people will be going out to celebrate Eid with 60 lakh people taking the bus followed by 38 lakh via waterways, seven lakh by rail, one lakh by air and eight lakh by private cars. This will indeed be a massive logistical operation. If we take the 100-km long tailback on the Chittagong Road a few weeks earlier, which resulted in immeasurable suffering for passengers on buses and cars, there is valid reason to be worried about the possible condition in the coming days. The Dhaka Chittagong road is the most used highway that leads to several other districts and though preventing a tailback will be an impractical expectation, with forward planning, the government will be able to ensure a smooth ride home without much difficulty. The role of course has to be played by the highway police plus several district administrations, which can be active in dealing with illegal toll collectors and roadside shops. In the rail sector, the carriages are old, raising fears of failed train schedules. At this point, with Eid only a fortnight away, the best possible action would be to ensure that existing trains are in working order. The country has already experienced long spells in heavy tempestuous weather which underlines the need to follow a stringent safety guideline for launches carrying holidaymakers. The pressure to go back home from people may prompt launch owners to neglect the safety aspect. Laxity in this matter cannot be allowed. If there is a catastrophe on water, the government will be blamed in the end for not being tough about safety. As for air travel, private airlines will have to offer round the clock trips with special late night flights. Again, the safety factor comes to the fore with the Nepal air crash still hanging over our heads. Realistically speaking, in such a rush home of biblical proportions, strategic planning highlighting security issues can alleviate a lot of the