Thousands of people are leaving Gazipur to cast their votes in the 13th national parliamentary election. Since Tuesday morning (February 10), bus terminals and railway stations across Gazipur have witnessed overwhelming crowds of homebound people. The surge in passengers has triggered an acute transport shortage and severe traffic congestion, while transport operators have been accused of charging fares three to five times higher than normal.
A visit to several bus terminals on Tuesday morning found thousands of passengers waiting for transport amid an acute shortage of buses. According to passengers, fares that usually stand at BDT 100 are being charged at BDT 300–500, while routes with a standard fare of BDT 500 are now demanding BDT 1,200–1,500. Protesting the excessive fares, agitated passengers briefly blocked roads in Chandana Chowrasta, Rajendrapur, and Mawna areas of Gazipur earlier in the day.
Crowds on the roads began swelling from Monday afternoon after factories started closing for the holidays. At Chandra Bus Terminal — one of the main hubs for passengers travelling to northern districts — there was barely any room to stand. Unable to find buses or trucks, many travellers attempted to reach their destinations in pickup vans. Despite efforts by law enforcement agencies to ease congestion, the situation has remained difficult to control.
Joydebpur Railway Station has also seen a massive influx of passengers since morning. With no space left inside train coaches, many were seen risking their lives by travelling on the rooftops of trains.
Workers employed at various factories in Gazipur are desperate to return to their home districts to vote. While residents of nearby districts have managed to travel by hiring microbuses or CNG-run auto-rickshaws, those heading to more distant destinations are facing severe hardship.
Affected passengers alleged that effective traffic control has been absent from the traffic police. The administration has remained largely passive despite arbitrary fare hikes by transport workers.
Attempts to contact transport owners and labour leaders over the issue of excessive fares were unsuccessful. Repeated calls to the mobile phone of the district transport owners’ association president also went unanswered.
Officer-in-Charge of Konabari Naojor Highway Police Station in the Gazipur region, Sawgatul Alam, said the sudden increase in traffic had intensified pressure on the highways following factory closures. “Police are working to ease the congestion,” he said.
He added that disorder had erupted in some areas due to excessive fare collection and assured that strict action would be taken against those charging extra fares.