Please, keep urself at least 100 miles away from me !!!

Nasir Muzahid Lakhs of people, who left Dhaka to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha at their village homes, have started returning to the capital city with the similar sufferings what they experienced on their homegoing journey. A good number of people, mostly working yesterday, reached the city's different bus and launch terminals and railway stations on Saturday after celebrating Eid with their near and dear ones as the public and all private offices resume today. While visiting, Gabtali, Mohakhali and Sayedabad bus terminals and Sadarghat launch terminal were found overcrowded with people returning to the city while the city entrances were blockaded with the rush of vehicles. Sayedabad-Jatrabari-Chittagong road, Tongi-Gazipur and Dhaka-Aricha highways had huge pressure of vehicles on Saturday. Though the city was free from traffic gridlock, returning people had to face it at different entrances of the city. The returning people also had to wait for hours at the ferry ghats. Anwar Hossain, an official of a housing company, after reaching Sayedabad from Feni told the reporter that it took two and a half hours to reach Kachpur Bridge while an hour needed to reach Sayedabad from Kachpur Bridge. Farhana Yasmin Zuthi, a Dhaka University student, told The New Nation that she had to wait for an hour at Mawa Ghat while returning to Dhaka. "I didn't have any option but returning so early as my university classes resume on Monday," she said. But the scenario of Sadarghat launch terminal was a bit different as there were fewer returning passengers comparing to the view of the homebound passengers before the Eid. Abdullah Al Amin, a banker, after returning from Barisal said that he had left his wife and sons at home village as they liked to enjoy more days there. He said many people like him returned to the city leaving their family members just to attend their office. That's why, there was little pressure of returning people, he said. On the other hand, the railway passengers experienced the same gathering in the inter-city railway services while many of them had to return with tickets without seat. Sohrab Hossain, an employee of a city hospital, said he couldn't afford a return ticket for Saturday and that's why he had to manage a stand ticket. Meanwhile, most of the returning passengers alleged that the bus companies took high charges for their return trips as they did while going home. The drivers of the rickshaws, CNG-run three wheelers and taxi cabs also did the same as they did before Eid, they alleged. Arfina Akter Shormi, a master's student of Eden Girls' College said that she had to pay Tk 150 more than the usual fair of Hanif Paribahan to reach Dhaka from Dinajpur. The returning passengers brought the same allegation against several bus companies of Dhaka-Khulna, Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-North Bengal routes. At least 50 per cent of the city's over 1.20 crore people had left for the countryside by road, railway and waterways to celebrate Eid, transport operators estimated.