People started leaving Dhaka for their hometown on Thursday itself to spend Eid-ul-Azha with their family. Thousands of Eid holidaymakers thronged bus and railway stations and launch terminals in the capital yesterday to head home for the festival. However, many holidaymakers failed to get tickets, while many are afraid of leaving Dhaka for home, as most roads across the country are in a shambles.

Transporters warned that the journey may not be safe and smooth. Gabtali, Mohakhali, and Sayedabad bus terminals, the Kamalapur railway station, and the Sadarghat launch terminal recorded a mad rush of Eid holidaymakers. People were seen waiting for hours at the different buses stands. The buses did not arrive on time, thanks to the broken roads.

Talking about the road condition of Dhaka, Rangpur, Dinajpur, and other northern districts, the assistant general manager of SR Travels, Tarif Ahmed, told The Independent yesterday that the homebound people of the northern districts will be in for a rough ride, as the road conditions of these route were the worst.

“I don’t know what will happen to the holidaymakers this time,” he said. He added that, normally, it takes five to six hours to travel to Bogra from Dhaka.

But in the past couple of weeks, this journey has been taking 10 to 12 hours, thanks to the badly damaged roads.

Monju Sarkar, who travelled from Bogra district to Dhaka yesterday, told this correspondent that he boarded the bus at 11 pm on Wednesday but reached Dhaka at 10 am. “I can’t even describe the road condition of the Dhaka-Rangpur highway. It’s the worst,” he groaned.

A government official waiting for a bus at the Sayedabad terminal said that he was on his way to Chittagong but the vehicle had not arrived even after a three-hour wait.

Rashed Hasan Khan at the Malibagh counter of Sohag Paribahan said all buses were returning from Chittagong one to two hours behind schedule.

However, like every year, the government said it had made elaborate preparations to make the journey safe and smooth for homebound people ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday assured the homebound people that the country’s highways would be kept running for their smooth journey by any means during the Eid-ul-Azha.

“There is no reason to be scared of the journey during the Eid-ul-Azha. There was not much traffic gridlock in the last Eid-ul Fitr. Highways will be kept running for the smooth journey of the passengers during the Eid-ul Azha too,” he told newsmen while visiting Meghna toll plaza at Sonargaon on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to oversee the latest traffic situation.

Quader also asked the authorities concerned to remain alert against any extortion incidents on the highways.

Muhammad Mahfuz, the additional superintendent of highway police, told this correspondent yesterday that most of the roads had been damaged by floods and heavy rainfall.

“But we have made elaborate preparations to tackle the situation. We have already informed the roads and highways authority to provide us with the necessary logistic support to make the journey safe and smooth for the homebound people ahead of Eid-ul-Azha,” he said.

Many people who wanted to travel on August 31 and September 1 are returning empty-handed from the bus counters and the Kamalapur railway station. All tickets are sold. Many of them told this reporter that they even approached black-marketers for tickets.

Hundreds of people were disappointed at the Gabtoli bus stand to learn that the advance ticket sale had already ended last week.

Meanwhile, our Tangail correspondent adds: The home-goers were stuck in huge traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Tangail highway since yesterday morning. It caused immense sufferings to the passengers. Police said that the congestion erupted in the morning when a bus and a truck collided head on at Mirzapur Charpara by-pass yesterday.

Police with the help of wrecker cleared the vehicles from the road, but the congestion continued for about five hours. Amjad Hossain a passenger from Dhaka to Dhanbari told The Independent that he boarded the AC Binimoya bus at 8.30 AM and it took him four hours more to reach destination  than scheduled time due to huge congestion on the highway.

Most of the roads of 70 kms from Chandra to Elenga have become rundown. OC of Mirzapur Police Station Main Uddin said that Police is trying to ease the congestion. But the congestion is being created at Chandra where the over pass is being built. Passengers on the highway demand deployment of BGB and Army to ease congestion.

Nure Alam, executive engineer of Tangail Road and Highway, said that they are working to repair the highways and it will be completed within next week.