Severe suffering on Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway: Millions return to workplaces amid post-Eid rush
As of 7pm, thousands, including women and elderly passengers, were seen stranded at the Elenga bus stand. Many had been waiting two to three hours for a bus, only to find vehicles already overloaded with passengers
As the Eid holidays come to an end, millions of people from northern Bangladesh faced intense hardship while returning to their workplaces via the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway today (14 June).
During the visit to the area, commuters were seen facing an exhausting day of travel, dealing with long waits, intense heat, dust, and inflated fares — all worsened by traffic jams and a lack of public transportation.
As of 7pm, thousands, including women and elderly passengers, were seen stranded at the Elenga bus stand. Many had been waiting two to three hours for a bus, only to find vehicles already overloaded with passengers.
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Shefali Begum, a garment worker from Tangail, waited for nearly four hours in Elenga to find a bus to her workplace in Savar's Baipail. Failing to get one, she was forced to pay Tk350 for a ride on a pickup van — nearly double the normal fare.
"I was suffocating in the heat and dust. Eventually, I had no option but to travel in a pickup," Shefali told The Business Standard.
Iqbal Ali, another commuter, said, "There's nothing but suffering on this highway. And to make things worse, we're being charged extra fares."
Exhausted by the heat, Zulekha Begum said, "I have been standing here for over two and a half hours. Buses are arriving from the north, but there's no space to even step in."
Truck driver Harun Mia stated that it took him over 10 hours to drive from Hatikumrul in Sirajganj to Elenga, a distance that normally takes just 1.5 to 2 hours.
The situation escalated from midnight Friday, when heavy traffic pressure, multiple road accidents, and vehicle breakdowns led to a traffic jam stretching over 20 kilometres from the Jamuna Bridge toll plaza to Rabna in Tangail.
The congestion later subsided to about 14 kilometres, but the impact on travellers remained severe.
According to toll authorities, 49,182 vehicles crossed the Jamuna Bridge in the past 24 hours, generating Tk3.43 crore in toll revenue — a reflection of the post-Eid rush.
Tangail Superintendent of Police Md Mizanur Rahman told TBS, "Police are working tirelessly to manage the traffic congestion. We expect the situation to improve soon."
