The Indepedent: At least 20 lakh people have already left the city to celebrate the holy Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest national festival, with their near and dear ones over the past two days.

Giving a primary estimate on the figure of homebound people on the eve of the Eid and Durga Puja festivals over the past couple of days including the first weekly holiday yesterday prior to the festival, sources in the three bus terminals, river terminals and Kamalapur Railway Station said the rush of passengers would increase significantly as garment workers would start leaving the city from today (Saturday).

The government has already announced a three-day public holiday beginning Sunday (September 20) and the holidays will be extended by a day if the Eid is celebrated on Tuesday.

The usually overcrowded city streets in many areas started to thin out yesterday.

Like in the past, a section of city dwellers with their family members began early journey to avoid an unwanted situation. A similar scenario to that of Thursday's a heavy rush of homebound people, who appeared to be desperate to go home to observe the Eid with their family members, was witnessed yesterday at the three inter-district bus and two river launch terminals and Kamalapur railway station.

A large number of people were seen streaming to Kamalapur railway station, Sadarghat and Badamtali launch terminals and Gabtoli, Syedabad and Mohakhali inter-district bus terminals and Gulistan bus terminal to avail trains, launches and buses for their homebound journey.

Heavy contingent of law enforcers comprising the Police, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Armed Police Battalion (APBN) have been deployed in all bus and launch terminals and also at railway stations to maintain law and order as well as to facilitate easy movement of people.

But, the passengers' woes and suffering was heightened due to traffic jams at many city intersections including at Gulistan square, North-South Road crossing, Bahadur Shah Park intersection. However, movement of traffic on important city routes that stretches from Topkhana Road to Shahbagh intersections, Moghbazar to Malibagh-Razarbagh-Shatinagar-Kakrail intersections was eased following departure of hundreds of people from the city.

Some passengers of long-haul routes at Mohakhali terminal alleged that they had to pay Tk 130 to Tk 300 as extra fare for their journey to Gaibandha and Patgram in Lalmonirhat district as they were desperate to go homes. But, the actual fare of the said journey from the capital is between Tk 220 and Tk 250 for Gaibandha and for Patgram, Lalmonirhat is Tk 350.

Allegations of silent extortion of money in the name of tips were also prevalent at the city bus terminals.

Some passengers at Sadarghat River Terminal, who were waiting to board river transport, alleged that the launch operators charged double the actual fare for their journey to Patuakhali as they had to pay Tk 200 instead of Tk 100.

Many river launches left the terminal carrying passengers on the roofs while some others left ahead of the scheduled time as those were filled with passengers much earlier and they did not sell tickets in advance.

Passengers also were seen boarding the roofs of some local trains at Kamalapur Railway Station.

Meanwhile, rush of Eid shoppers of low-income group was witnessed yesterday on both sides of the streets particularly at Gulistan square, Bangabandhu Avenue, Syed Nazrul Islam Sarani (Khaddar Market), Phoenix Road and Kazi Alauddin Road crossing (Banga Bazar), Phulbaria and their adjoining streets that also crated serious traffic snarls throughout the day yesterday.