As the five-day Eid and Pohela Boishakh celebrations drew to a close, the bustle of returning holidaymakers flooded Dhaka's transportation hubs on Monday (15 April).
The government offices, courts, banks, insurance, and financial institutions resumed operations after the extended holiday period.
As the day progressed, Kamalapur Railway Station, Gabtoli Bus Terminal, and Mohakhali Bus Terminal buzzed with streams of passengers returning to the capital.
Rafiul Ahmed, who celebrated Eid at his home in Chattogram, returned to Dhaka on a train at around 9am.
However, he didn’t bring his family with him on his journey back to Dhaka.
"I decided to come back alone since I have work to go to. My children don’t get to see their grandparents often. They love it there," he said.
Rafiqul said the journey back to the capital was not one that went with ease due to the huge number of passengers.
“I’ll visit again on the weekend to bring my family back,” he said.
Mariya Afroja Sinthiya, a university student, returned from Rajshahi.
"I didn't encounter any major challenges on the way this time. I started at 8pm yesterday and reached Dhaka by morning," she said.
Kamrul Hasan, who arrived via bus from Thakurgaon, also shared his travel experience amidst the post-holiday rush.
"On the highway, there was not much traffic. Arriving in Dhaka, though the roads weren't too congested at 7am, I had to wait for nearly 40 minutes due to the absence of public transportation," Kamrul said.
Fatema Akhtar, a government employee, echoes the same, saying "There is no public transportation available in the morning. Even the CNG run three wheelers, rickshaws are scarce.”
She said the few available CNG or Rickshaw drivers are seizing this opportunity to charge extra.
Shofiqur Rahman, a CNG driver, explained, "We could not make any money in the last few days. All of them get Eid bonuses but we don’t. During Eid, if we charge a few bucks more, it shouldn’t be an issue."
Meanwhile, Mustafiz Billah, a member of the Gabtoli Bus-Minibus Workers Union, said the buses are not getting enough passengers.
"Our desired passengers are not showing up during the travel time. There is also no influx of passengers. People are buying more train tickets. As a result, there is a bit of a crisis in the bus sector."
Traffic police officials report that more than 200% of the usual buses are entering Dhaka every hour.
This influx is exacerbating the traffic congestion in the capital.
Rabiul Islam, a traffic police officer responsible for Gabtoli Mazar Road, explained, "Vehicles are entering Dhaka from 5am onwards. The pressure increases around 7am.”
Some, however, returned a few days earlier to avoid the peak hassle on the last day before vacation ends.
The city's launch ghats, bus stoppages and rail stations witnessed a noticeable surge in the crowd of returnees since Saturday (13 April).
Nurul Islam, a school teacher from Tangail, told the Bangladesh First his decided to return to Dhaka ahead of the Eid rush.
"The school holidays are still ongoing, but the train congestion is now eased up a bit. That's why we decided to head to Dhaka earlier," said Nurul Islam.
Meanwhile, Khairul Islam from Barisal disembarked at Sadarghat in Dhaka alongside his family members around mid-afternoon on 13 April.
Expressing his intention to visit relatives and celebrate Pohela Boishakh in the capital, Khairul said, "I have family in Dhaka, and we plan to pay them a visit. We also want to participate in the Mangal Shobhajatra. That's why we opted for an early return."
On the occasion of Eid, 10, 11, and 12 April (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) were public holidays. After Eid, there was a weekly holiday on Saturday, 13 April, and Bengali New Year holiday on 14 April -making for a 5 day vacation for most.
