Eid holidaymakers are in for a bumpy ride home this year, as the incessant rain and floods have left most roads in a shambles. Yet, the government has decided to not allow vehicles to run at a speed of less than 40 km per hour on highways during the Eid holidays.

Passengers travelling on the Dhaka-Tangail-Bogra-Rangpur route via the Bangabandhu Bridge, the Dhaka-Tongi-Konabari route, and the Dhaka-Khulna route via Aricha will face the worst of it, thanks to the crumbling, potholed roads.

Currently, it is taking 14 to 17 hours to reach Rangpur from Dhaka by bus. It could take longer during rush hours over the Eid holidays.

“We have decided that no vehicle will move on the highways below 40 km/h starting seven days ahead of Eid-ul-Azha and until seven days after it,” MAN Siddique, secretary (road transport and highways division) of the road transport and bridges ministry, told The Independent yesterday.

Usually, cattle-traders drive outdated trucks to transport the animals during Eid-ul-Azha, he explained. Their speed is never above 20 km/h, he added, adding that such trucks will not be allowed on the highways.

Besides, no cattle market will be allowed on the highways or next to the roads, he added. “To avoid any hassle, we will not start any new construction on highways starting seven days before Eid. We want to ensure a smooth journey for homebound citizens on Eid,” Siddique said.

He blamed the condition of some highways on the incessant rain and floods. “We have already started repairing the roads. It will be completed before the Eid holidays,” the secretary said.

Web-based video cameras have been installed at eight points, including Nabinagar, Chandra, Baipail, and Konabari, to monitor vehicle movement, he said. “We will install more cameras in Meghna, Kanchpur Bridge, and Nalka Setu.”

The department concerned could take prompt action with the help of the local administration and the highway police to clear the road gridlocks, he said in reply to a query.

According to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, there are 181,016 registered trucks in the country. Of these, 126,001 operate across the country and 55,015 do so in Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) areas.

Besides, around 70,963 buses operate across the country. Of these, 41,722 ply across the country, while 29,241 do so in DMP areas. In all, 158,582 pick-ups operate in the country. Of these, 93,216 operate across the country, while 65,366 do so in the DMP areas.

According to the roads and highways department, there are 3,812-km-long national highways, 4,246-km regional highways, and 13,242-km zilla roads in the country.