Dhaka Bureau: Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association has requested that April 20 be declared a public holiday. If common people get an extra day off, unbearable traffic jams, road harassment, and road accidents will be reduced during the Eid journey.
On Sunday, April 2, Dhaka Reporters Unity’s Sagar Roni Auditorium held a press conference to demand an end to “terrible traffic jams, passenger harassment, excess fares, anarchy, and road accidents.” Mozammel Haque Chowdhury made this claim.
He said that this Eid, more than 12 million people will travel from Dhaka to different districts of the country. Besides, about five crore people from one district to another can go home on Eid. In this situation, the Eid journey started on April 16, but after receiving the salary bonus on April 18, about 40 to 50 lakh people will leave the capital every day from April 19. In order to facilitate the movement of this large number of passengers, the pressure and harassment of passengers may be reduced to some extent if a public holiday is declared on April 20. Otherwise, it is feared that the road, rail, and waterway situation may go into a coma on April 1.
Mozammel Haque Chowdhury also said that due to traffic congestion and various management issues, if proper use of public transport is not ensured, this year’s Eid journey may lead to a terrible, hellish situation. There is a dire crisis in public transportation. About 40,000 long-distance buses have the capacity to transport 2 lakh passengers. Four lakh passengers will be able to travel if a double tip is given. But at this time, it will not be possible to give double treatment to public transport due to traffic pressure on the roads. In this situation, six lakh bikers will be able to go to different parts of the country from the side of the capital if given the opportunity to go on an Eid trip on motorcycles. Although it is a little comforting, road accidents and loss of life will increase to a large extent. Due to the severe traffic jam in the capital this year, people living at home will suffer the most.
He further said that due to extortion by some unscrupulous law enforcers and transport leaders and various toll points, there is traffic congestion at various points on the national highway. I demand to keep these areas free from traffic jams. Every year, the movement of unfit vehicles on roads and waterways increases due to the temptation of transporting extra passengers and collecting higher fares during the Eid journey. Every year during Eid, hundreds of passengers lose their lives in road accidents due to unfit vehicles driven by incompetent drivers. This time too, due to the additional pressure on the nation, the accidents and loss of life on the roads and waterways may increase. 416 people were killed and 844 injured in 372 road accidents across the country during Eid ul-Fitr 2022.
The press conference was attended by Sharifuzzaman Sharif, General Secretary of Civic Solidarity; Abu Zafar Surya, former General Secretary of the Dhaka Journalists Union; Tawhidul Haque Liton; Joint Secretary General M Monirul Haque; Publicity Secretary Mahmudul Hasan Russell; and other leaders of the organization.
