The typically congested Dhaka roads are clearing out as many city residents are headed to their ancestral homes to spend the long Durga Puja holidays with their families. In place of the regular traffic jams in Dhaka, bus terminals and railway stations were teeming with holiday travellers.
The government has announced three public holidays for the puja. Combined with the weekend, it makes for a five-day break. Many residents left Dhaka after work on Monday, while others set off on Tuesday.
Many students and their parents left the capital early as educational institutions closed for a combined 10 consecutive days for the puja and weekend holidays.
The absence of traffic jams led to travellers making comfortable trips to terminals and stations. However, once they arrived, they encountered massive homebound crowds.
Dhaka University student Papon Kumar Sarkar, who came to the Mohakhali Bus Terminal on his way to his village home in Sirajganj, told bdnews24.com: “The journey from the campus to the Mohakhali terminal was comfortable compared to other times. But the terminal was very crowded. It is a long holiday and everyone is going home.”
North South University student Saifuddin Ahmed shared a similar experience.
“Dhaka has become empty. Today, I managed to get here from Kuril in much less time than I usually would. But, when I finally reached the station, I saw a huge crowd.”
Private sector employee Mashrafe Shovan said the crowd at Kamalapur Railway Station on Monday evening had forced him to come back the following day. Mashrafe, who is headed to Brahmanbaria, said: “I thought I would go home yesterday evening. After seeing the humongous crowd at Kamalapur station, I turned away yesterday. Today, I have to go.”
Tanmoy Chandra, headed to Jhalakathi, said that he boarded his bus at a different location to avoid the crowd at the terminal. The private sector employee said: “There is a huge crowd at the Sayedabad terminal and it was not possible to board the bus from there. Due to the long holiday, both Hindus and Muslims are leaving Dhaka. I somehow managed to catch a bus from Dholaipar.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Anisur Rahman said the rush of vehicles on the roads inside the city has eased sharply as a lot of people are leaving Dhaka.
He told bdnews24.com, “Due to the puja holidays and the closure of schools, the traffic on the roads of the capital has eased. The traffic management has also become quite easy. If the rush of vehicles on the roads is low, it is also easier to manage traffic.”
Highlighting the long-term plan to ease traffic congestion in the capital, the police official said: “We have taken various measures to achieve this. We are trying to start specific school buses, reduce the number of private cars, and shift terminals outside the capital. If these initiatives are successful, the traffic situation on the roads of the capital will become even better.”