Four-day factory break triggers Eid-like highway rush in Gazipur

A four-day factory holiday has triggered an Eid-like rush on highways in Gazipur, as around 20% of industrial units suspended operations amid a prolonged gas shortage that has disrupted production.

Following today's (5 August) public holiday marking the July Mass Uprising, many factories also declared Thursday a holiday, combining it with the Friday-Saturday weekend to give workers four consecutive days off.

Thousands of garment workers began leaving for their hometowns yesterday (4 August), leading to heavy passenger congestion at the Chandra intersection and surrounding areas along the Dhaka-Tangail highway.

According to Gazipur Industrial Police and Highway Police, many factory owners opted for the extended holiday after being forced to scale back production because of the persistent gas crisis.

The shortage has severely affected the garment, textile, knitting, dyeing and washing industries.

Visits to Chandra, Konabari and Chandana Chowrasta along the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways today found thousands of workers waiting for buses and other transport.

Many passengers alleged that some transport operators were charging fares up to three times higher than the usual rates due to the sudden surge in demand.

"I got four days off and decided to go home to Sirajganj, but after reaching Chandra I found an Eid-like crowd and had to deal with excessive transport fares," said a garment worker Hafizur Rahman.

Factory owners said they had declared the temporary shutdown to minimise production losses during the gas crisis, but warned that prolonged disruptions could affect export commitments.

Md Salauddin Chowdhury, chairman of Stylish Garments Limited, said the gas shortage was preventing factories from completing orders on time.

"The garment industry is facing risks in the international market because we cannot deliver products on schedule. We had no choice but to declare the holiday, but immediate government intervention is needed," he said.

Garment workers crowd the Chandra intersection in Gazipur during a four-day factory holiday. Photo: TBS

According to the Gazipur office of Titas Gas, the district is currently receiving around 300 million cubic feet of gas per day against a demand of about 550 million cubic feet, leaving a supply deficit of roughly 45%.

Md Saifuzzaman, manager of Titas Gas's maintenance division, said the crisis was most severe in Kaliakair, Sreepur and the Tongi BSCIC industrial area, adding that efforts were underway to improve supply.

Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Md Amjad Hossain said around one-fifth of the district's factories had declared extended holidays by combining the government holiday with weekly closures.

"Many workers are taking the opportunity to visit their families in their hometowns," he said.

Naojor Highway Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Zafar Ali Khan said police had increased monitoring to manage the heavy flow of passengers and vehicles.

Although traffic remained slow because of the increased pressure, vehicles were still moving, he said.

The OC also warned that legal action would be taken against transport operators if allegations of overcharging passengers were proven.