A large number of people have been leaving Dhaka by buses, launches and trains since Saturday afternoon after the road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader’s announcement that government was going to announce weeklong countrywide ‘lockdown’ from Monday to fight the second wave of COVID-19.
The pressure of out-going people would increase further on Sunday, the transport operators said.
Road transport operators from Gabtoli, Mohakhali and Saidabad inter district bus terminals said that most of the tickets for northern and southern routes for Saturday and Sunday sold out after the announcement of Obaidul Quader, also general secretary of ruling Awami League.
Mosharref Hossain, general manager of Hanif Paribahan at Gabtoli bus terminal, told New Age on Saturday night that on the day all tickets of their buses for making journey from Dhaka on Saturday and Sunday had been sold out.
The situation was same for almost all bus companies at the terminal for travelling on northern and southern routes, he said.
Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association executive president and Mohakhali Bus Terminal Owners’ Association president Abul Kalam said that the pressure for passengers leaving Dhaka would increase tomorrow.
The number of passengers increased on Saturday, he said and added that till Saturday night they did not get any instruction from government regarding closing bus services from Monday.
Bangladesh Railway additional director general (operation) Sardar Shahdat Ali confirmed that the number of passengers on trains on different routes increased from Saturday evening.
‘It is natural that people will move before lockdown,’ he added.
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority joint director (Dhaka River Port) Zainal Abedin told New Age that the number of passengers going outside Dhaka increased slightly at Sadarghat launch terminal from Saturday evening.
The pressure would be higher on Sunday, he added.
