Staff Correspondent:

As the Eid holidays come to an end, crowds of people are making their way back to the capital Dhaka. Travellers using the Dhaka–Tangail–Jamuna Bridge highway are facing severe difficulties due to traffic congestion. Amid a shortage of public transport, many are taking risks by travelling on bus roofs, open trucks, and pickup vans.

Complaints have also surfaced about passengers being charged double the usual fare. This situation was observed across various points along the highway until Saturday afternoon.

Abdur Rahim, a passenger on an open truck, said: “Unable to find any public transport, I am travelling to Dhaka by truck. They are charging Tk300 per person from Sirajganj to Dhaka.”

Another traveller named Yusuf said: “I have been standing on the highway for nearly an hour without finding any transport. Like me, many people are stranded here waiting for public transport. The suffering is especially severe for local passengers.”

Mariam Khatun said she could not find a seat to travel to her workplace in Gazipur. “On top of that, they are asking for more than double the regular fare,” she said.

Nargis Akhter, who was trying to go to Jamgora in Savar, said: “I have been waiting a long time without getting a bus, and they are asking for high fares. From Tangail to Gazipur, they are asking Tk200, while the regular fare is just Tk80.”

Mahbub, a truck driver, said: “I left Hatikumrul in Sirajganj at 10pm for Dhaka. But due to traffic, I only reached Elenga in Tangail by 1pm. The Sirajganj part of the highway is heavily congested.”

Arif, a bus driver, said: “Our bus left Dinajpur at 8pm, but it took three hours just to cross Sirajganj because of the jam.”

On-site visits showed passengers waiting for hours on the highway for public transport. Many resorted to risky alternatives, climbing onto bus roofs or boarding open trucks and pickup vans.

Women and children were also seen taking these dangerous rides. Alongside police, army personnel were also working to ease the traffic congestion.

A 17-kilometre-long tailback had formed on the Tangail section of the Dhaka–Tangail–Jamuna Bridge highway, stretching from the Jamuna Bridge to Pungli, due to road accidents on the bridge and an excessive number of vehicles.

Meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, a total of 49,182 vehicles crossed the Jamuna Bridge, generating Tk34,313,200 in toll revenue.

Tangail Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman said that police personnel were working tirelessly to reduce congestion on the highway.