Eid ul‑Fitr is a unique festival of joy, harmony, and reunion in our national life. After a long month of fasting and spiritual discipline, this celebration brings a sense of spiritual peace and a special opportunity for family bonding.
However, the unfortunate reality is that every year as Eid approaches, severe suffering descends upon the country’s roads, highways, railways, and waterways. When millions of people set out from the capital or large cities to return to their villages in order to share the joy of Eid with their loved ones, the abnormal pressure of passengers turns normal travel into a painful ordeal.
This festive journey is often overshadowed by tragic road accidents. Long traffic jams on highways, reckless driving, overloading of passengers, and the movement of unfit vehicles are responsible for this situation.
On March 12, a tragic road accident on the Bagerhat–Mongla road claimed 14 fresh lives. Such casualties during a festive period are in no way desirable.
A few years ago, however, the situation was even more fragile. Particularly before the opening of the Padma Bridge, ferry terminals were the main means of travel to the southern and southwestern regions of the country.
With Eid approaching, long lines of passengers and vehicles would form at the Mawa and Paturia ferry terminals; in many cases people had to wait for hours, sometimes even an entire day. That hardship was a bitter memory of Eid travel. In recent years, however, due to infrastructural development, improved connectivity, and comparatively better road management, Eid travel has gradually become more comfortable.
Our past experience clearly shows that with effective planning and coordinated initiatives, travel hardships can be reduced. Therefore, alongside temporary arrangements during festivals, it is undeniable that long-term planning is necessary to keep traffic normal on roads and highways.
Ensuring vehicle fitness, appointing skilled drivers, strictly enforcing traffic laws, and establishing discipline on roads and highways are essential. Attention should also be given to how rail and water transport systems can be made increasingly efficient and passenger-friendly. Such initiatives would help reduce the excessive pressure on road transport and contribute to ensuring smoother travel.
Every year complaints are heard about ticket-related irregularities at bus terminals, railway stations, and launch terminals, as well as the dominance of ticket-brokers and the charging of excessive fares.
To stop these irregularities, there is no alternative to strict monitoring and ensuring transparency through technology-based ticketing systems. At the same time, it is the duty of every traveler to maintain discipline during the journey, avoid excessive crowds or risky travel, and properly follow safety regulations. It must be remembered that individual awareness is an important tool in ensuring safe travel.
Eid is a festival of joy, reunion, and human connection. Ensuring that this journey of celebration does not become a cause of suffering or sorrow is a shared responsibility of the state, the relevant authorities, and civil society.
Every year, millions of people travel on the roads during Eid—this undoubtedly requires large-scale and extensive management. However, with timely planning, strict supervision, and above all, public awareness, it is certainly possible to ensure that the festive journey remains safe and free from suffering.
