United News of Bangladesh

With the seven-day Eid-ul-Azha holiday now underway, the annual exodus from the capital has gathered full momentum, as millions of people continue leaving Dhaka to celebrate the festival with their families in hometowns across the country. Passenger welfare and road safety experts estimate that between 10 million and 13 million people could leave the capital during the Eid holidays, although adverse weather conditions may force some travellers to cancel or postpone their trips. Main Eid congregation to be held at 7:30am at National Eidgah Bus terminals, railway stations and launch ghats witnessed increasing crowds since early morning on Monday as homebound travellers rushed to catch their desired transport amid the holiday movement. Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity Secretary General Md Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury said the organisation expects between 10 million and 11.5 million people to leave Dhaka city for Eid celebrations. “However, the number could be lower if bad weather discourages some people from travelling,” he said.