Dwellers ‘desert’ Dhaka to celebrate Eid at home

With offices and business establishments closing down for the Eid holidays yesterday, the capital wore a deserted look as most of the residents left for their native places to celebrate the festival with their near and dear ones.
Post-noon, the rush of home-bound travellers peaked at Sayedabad and Gabtoli bus terminals and Kamalapur railway station. This year, however, the rush on the last working day was considerably less than previous years as government employees have been enjoying nine days of leave that started on July 30. Yesterday’s crowd of holidaymakers mainly comprised those from the private sector, leading to less pressure on trains, buses and ferries.
There was also less crowd at the at the ticket counters yesterday, given that advance tickets were made available 10 to 15 days before Eid. However, some people going for tickets at the eleventh hour complained of being charged extra. On their part, transporters said they were charging a little extra as Eid bonus and that passengers were not reluctant to pay it. Though some local buses in Dhaka carry homebound people during Eid, most of them are parked in garages this time.
Many commuters complained that yesterday’s showers led to traffic snarls and delay in services, unlike the smooth functioning of transport for the past few days. “My bus is one-and-a-half hours late. Everything was going smoothly but the rain hampered everything,” said Tuhin Kanti Das, who was waiting at Uttara’s Azampur area to catch a bus for Sirajganj.
“I want to go home today because of the possible hassles of travelling tomorrow given the huge rush of homebound travellers,” he added.
Those who braved the homeward journey by sitting on the roofs of trains and buses had to suffer due to rain. Some travellers, however, had brought along polythene sheets and umbrellas, especially after following the weather forecast on Sunday.
Bank branches around marketplaces in the country were open till yesterday in order to enable garments factory owners to disburse salary to their workers.

Dwellers desert Dhaka to celebrate Eid at home

With offices and business establishments closing down for the Eid holidays yesterday, the capital wore a deserted look as most of the residents left for their native places to celebrate the festival with their near and dear ones. Post-noon, the rush of home-bound travellers peaked at Sayedabad and Gabtoli bus terminals and Kamalapur railway station. This year, however, the rush on the last working day was considerably less than previous years as government employees have been enjoying nine days of leave that started on July 30. Yesterdays crowd of holidaymakers mainly comprised those from the private sector, leading to less pressure on trains, buses and ferries. There was also less crowd at the at the ticket counters yesterday, given that advance tickets were made available 10 to 15 days before Eid. However, some people going for tickets at the eleventh hour complained of being charged extra. On their part, transporters said they were charging a little extra as Eid bonus and that passengers were not reluctant to pay it. Though some local buses in Dhaka carry homebound people during Eid, most of them are parked in garages this time. Many commuters complained that yesterdays showers led to traffic snarls and delay in services, unlike the smooth functioning of transport for the past few days. My bus is one-and-a-half hours late. Everything was going smoothly but the rain hampered everything, said Tuhin Kanti Das, who was waiting at Uttaras Azampur area to catch a bus for Sirajganj. I want to go home today because of the possible hassles of travelling tomorrow given the huge rush of homebound travellers, he added. Those who braved the homeward journey by sitting on the roofs of trains and buses had to suffer due to rain. Some travellers, however, had brought along polythene sheets and umbrellas, especially after following the weather forecast on Sunday. Bank branches around marketplaces in the country were open till yesterday in order to enable garments factory owners to disburse salary to their workers.