Eid journey: Movement of vehicles on Gazipur highways normal despite increased traffic flow

The movement of vehicles on both the Dhaka-Tangail Highway and the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway has remained normal despite an onrush of home-goers ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration. 

Meanwhile, an increased rush of passengers and vehicles was observed this morning (28 March) at several bus stations in Gazipur, including Chandra and Chandana Chawrasta. 

As many as 4,000 members of the Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP), District Police, and Highway Police are working continuously to maintain highway safety and resolve traffic congestion in the district. 

Additionally, Gazipur City Corporation and student volunteers are assisting the police in these efforts.

Pressure on both Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways increased last night (27 March) as several industrial factories in various areas of Gazipur closed for the holiday. 

For this reason, increased passenger and vehicle pressure at Chandra on the Dhaka-Tangail highway initially slowed vehicle speeds on the northbound lane. The situation normalised Friday morning. 

No congestion developed despite the volume of vehicles at Chandra causing slower traffic. However, most garment factories are scheduled to close today, which law enforcement members believe will cause pressure to begin building in the afternoon. They said the volume of passengers and vehicles on the highway may increase further after iftar.
 
"Factory workers started travelling to their village homes from Thursday afternoon as some RMG factories closed ahead of Eid. Although the number of vehicles and people on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway decreased somewhat in the evening, vehicle pressure increased again from 8pm to 1:30am," said Ashok Kumar Pal, assistant deputy commissioner (ADC-Traffic) of GMP. 
 
Many passengers, including factory workers, were seen gathering at bus stands in small groups waiting for transportation this morning at the Chandana intersection. As soon as vehicles arrived, passengers began competing to board. 

Many were seen travelling to their destinations on open trucks and pickups, hoping for lower fares. Similarly, crowds of home-goers increased at various railway stations in Gazipur, resulting in many passengers being unable to get seats on trains. 

However, no problems were reported as trains departed on schedule.
 
Mokhlesur Rahman, a resident of the Haluaghat area in Mymensingh, works in a garment factory. Although his factory closed on Thursday, he didn't go to his village home because of Shab-e-Qadr. 

He said he left Gazipur this morning with his wife and children. Mokhlesur complained about excessive fares, stating that the fare to Haluaghat used to be Tk300, but this morning, transport workers asked Tk600-700 for tickets.

District Police Superintendent Chowdhury Jaber Sadek said 820 members from the district police are working on roads and highways to ensure safe and uninterrupted Eid travel. 

"District police are working to control traffic congestion in the Kaliakair-Chandra area of the Dhaka-Tangail highway and the Sreepur area, Kapasia thana, and Kaliganj area of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. No problems have been reported anywhere yet," he added. 
 
GMP Commissioner Najmul Karim Khan said 371 members of GMP and 100 students and volunteers are working to resolve traffic congestion in various areas of the metropolitan area on both highways.

Gazipur City Corporation Administrator and Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury said that the city corporation has appointed 100 volunteers on the metropolitan police's request to assist them this Eid. 

"They are working alongside police to maintain order in passenger and vehicle movement on highways. It is hoped that this year's Eid journey will be more comfortable compared to previous years with everyone's combined efforts," he added.