The situation on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur is better than the last few years.However, since this morning, there are crowds of home-goers at various important points including Chandana intersection on the highway and the pressure of vehicles is also very high.To keep the movement of vehicles smooth on the highway, the road is being monitored round the clock with the deployment of additional traffic police at important points including Chandana, Bhogra Bypass intersection, Board Bazar, and Station Road.There are certain routes with fewer vehicles and more commuters. Many said they have to wait for a long time for buses, and taking advantage of this, transport workers are charging extra fare.Buses on the Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Sherpur, Netrakona and other routes are charging about one and a half times more than usual fare, they complained.Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (traffic) Mohammad Alamgir Hossain said, about 1,000 traffic police personnel, APBN members and rover scouts have been deployed in three shifts to maintain normal traffic conditions on the highway during this year's Eid journey.Special monitoring is going on to prevent unfit vehicles from plying the road. Some tow-trucks have also been kept ready at different points of the highway.

A man fatally stabbed two people and injured five others on a train in northern Germany on Wednesday before being arrested, police said. Germany's Federal Police force said the man used a knife to attack several passengers shortly before a regional train traveling from Kiel to Hamburg arrived at the Brokstedt station. Police spokesman Juergen Henningsen from the nearby city of Flensburg said two of the stabbed people died after the attack. Three people were severely injured and two others suffered minor injuries. No details were given about the identity of the victims. The attacker was also injured and taken to the hospital, police said. Read more: Son of former German president stabbed to death in Berlin Police did not provide any information on the suspect’s identity and said his possible motives were under investigation. They said they were first alerted to the incident shortly before 3 p.m. when several passengers on the train made emergency calls to police. The interior minister of Schleswig-Holstein state, Sabine Suetterlin-Waack, voiced shock at the attack.. “It is terrible,” Suetterlin-Waack told German public broadcaster NDR. “We are shocked and horrified that something like this has happened.” Regional police and the federal police were on the scene and the prosecutor’s office was investigating the attack, NDR reported. The train station in Brokstedt was closed for several hours and train traffic was delayed across northern Germany. Train operator Deutsche Bahn expressed its condolences on Wednesday evening saying that “our deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims. We wish those injured a speedy and complete recovery.”

Private airline ‘NOVOAIR’ celebrated its 10th founding anniversary through various programs. Marking the anniversary it awarded ‘best agents prize’ to 10 travel agencies for their significant contribution to transportation of passengers at a function in a city hotel on Tuesday evening. The agencies are ShareTrip Limited, BeFresh Limited, Gozayaan Limited, H.I.S Travel Limited, Triplover Limited, Saimon Overseas Limited, Flight Expert, International Travel Corporation, Travel Channel and Tryotel Travels Limited. Addressing as the chief guest at the event, Minister for Commerce Tipu Munshi said the NOVOAIR is making a notable contribution to expanding the country's business by ensuring safe and reliable travel. Especially for the northern districts of the country more flights are needed in expanding trade, employment and developing the tourism industry, he said. Read more: NOVOAIR celebrates its 10th Anniversary The private airline has always maintained its reputation and established itself as a world-class airline by expanding its network of state-of-the-art aircraft additions, the minister said. Air Vice Marshal M Mofidur Rahman, chairman of Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority, said the airline operates flights with 100 percent compliance and always strives to ensure safer travel for passengers. Fayzur Rahman, chairman of NOVOAIR, in his speech said, “Our journey began with the promise to provide a world-class service. It has never compromised with the quality of passenger service. We are constantly trying to increase the quality of service by adding new services”. Mofizur Rahman, managing director of the airline, said on-time flight operations and ensuring safe travel are the highest prerogative of their business philosophy. “We give equal importance to the two main mantras--safety and service reliability. After overcoming various challenges and adversities, NOVOAIR has established itself as a trusted, reliable and safe airline,” he said. Arshad Jamal, director & chief financial officer of the NOVOAIR, said they are working to ensure a better passenger service by expanding domestic and international destinations, adding more aircraft to its fleet to meet demand of passengers. Read more: NOVOAIR launches direct flight on Jashore-Cox’s Bazar route

Water transport workers continued their countrywide strike for the second consecutive day – to press home their 10-point demand, including wage hike. The workers held demonstrations at Khulna launch terminal this morning, reports our Khulna correspondent. Read more: Countrywide water transport strike: Unloading at Ctg port halted Passengers are, as always, suffering as all launches from Khulna to the southern part (Dakop, Paikgachha, Koira, Satkhira) have been halted. Cargo launch services also remained suspended. At present, a worker is getting a minimum wage of Tk 7,750 monthly when prices of essentials have shot up abnormally, said member of Khulna Noujan Sramik Sangram Parishad Farooq Hossain. He said they have been repeatedly demanding increase in wages but water transport owners did not pay any heed. Read more: Passengers suffer as Barishal water transport workers go on indefinite strike The workers will continue their strike, abstaining from work until their demands are met, said Khulna Divisional Organising Secretary of Bangladesh Launch Workers’ Association, Delwar Hossain. On November 19, Noujan Sramik Sangram Parishad announced to go on an indefinite strike across the country from November 26 midnight to press home their 10-point demand, including setting their minimum wage at Tk 20,000. Other demands of the workers are providing appointment letter, identity card and service book to workers, formation of Contributory Provident Fund and Seafarer Welfare Fund to provide food and sea allowances, providing Tk 10 lakh compensation for accident and death at work.

The authorities concerned of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) on Tuesday requested people suffering from conjunctivitis not to travel within seven days of being infected with the disease. In case of any emergency, it also asked the passengers suffering from the disease to go to the airport with a prescription of a registered physician and wearing sunglasses for travelling, said a press release issued by Executive Director Quamrul Islam of the airport. It also asked the passengers suffering from conjunctivitis to be checked by a health officer of the Health Department at the airport and he will provide a fitness certificate after scrutinising the documents in case of any emergency. The airport authorities issued the notice after observing the presence of people infected with conjunctivitis outside the airport for safety reasons.

Launch owners have decreased the number of vessels plying the Dhaka-Barishal route due to shortage of passengers and price hike of fuel. Three launches ply the Dhaka-Barishal-Dhaka route each day, the MV Manami’s Director Ahmed Jaki Anupam said after a meeting of launch owners of the Bangladesh Inland Waterways Association in the capital on Tuesday. A total of 18 launches have been categorized into six groups to operate on the route per day, he said. Director Anupam informed that the Barishal-bound launch from Dhaka will reach around 5am after departing around 8pm. On the other hand the Dhaka-bound launch from Barishal will also leave at 6am and arrive around 8pm on the same day.   Read: Upto 30 launch services from Sadarghat forced to fold post-Padma Bridge He further said decision to stop overtaking among launches was taken at the meeting. All the decisions taken at the meeting will be implemented within four to five days. Mahbub Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram presided over the meeting where its Vice President Bodiuzzaman Badal, Managing Committee’s Convenor of Dhaka Rivers Ports Water Traffic Plying Mamun-Or-Rashid and launch owners were present.  

Commuters have been suffering a lot for the past 13 days as the bus workers on the Sylhet-M’singh went on an indefinite strike from August 1 following a conflict between the authorities concerned of the two routes. Bus movement on the Sylhet-Mymensingh route remains suspended since August 1, causing immense sufferings to the Sylhet, Mymensingh, Netrakona and Kishoreganj-bound passengers. Some 4-5 buses were operative on Sylhet route and 60-70 buses were operative on Mymensingh route. The Mymensingh Bus Owners Association obstructed the Sylhet Bus owners to move in Sylhet, said Ziaul Kabir Palash, general secretary of Sylhet District bus Owners Association. Read: Commuters suffer as buses stay off roads As a result, no buses were left from the terminal from August 1.The commuters failed to buy tickets for Mymensingh as they went on the strike without any prior notice. However, a meeting will be held on Sunday where the two groups of bus owners association will take final decision. The meeting was scheduled to be held at ‘Madhabpur Highway Inn’.

Due to traffic gridlock caused by an ongoing Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) project, police have requested Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport-bound passengers to leave their homes early so that they can arrive on time. Traffic (Uttara Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) urged the passengers to do so as the work of the project has narrowed the road to the airport. Read: Salman dissatisfied with services at airport DMP Joint Commissioner (Traffic North) Abu Saleh Md Raihan said vehicle movement has been suspended in three lanes of the road, leading to heavy congestion. "So, airport-bound passengers need to set out ahead of time." "As the road has been separated into two, passengers need to stick to the left lane after passing Le Méridien Dhaka and Kawla. Those travelling from Khilkhet to Uttara or to Gazipur need to head out early," he added.

The hike in fuel prices by the government on Friday has resulted in an acute transport crisis in Dhaka, causing untold sufferings to commuters as a large number of buses stayed off the roads on Saturday morning. In an abrupt move, the government increased the prices of diesel, octane and petrol by 42.5 percent, 51.7 percent and 51 percent respectively Friday night. Currently, diesel is being sold at Tk 114 per litre, octane at Tk 135 per litre and petrol at Tk 130 per litre. Transport owners decided not to operate buses following the government’s announcement, triggering transport shortage in the capital. Also read: Brace for bus & ferry fare hike Masuma Nasrin Rimi, a private employee working at a multinational company at Gulshan-1, waited in front of Purobi Bus Stand in Mirpur-12 for two hours but couldn’t catch a bus. She had to share a CNG-run auto-rickshaw with another office goer to reach Mohakhali Wireless Gate area.

At least 30 passengers were killed and several others injured on Sunday evening when their bus fell off a bridge and plunged into a river along the highway in Tharaka Nithi, Kenya, local police said. The bus, traveling from Meru town to the coastal city of Mombasa, plunged into the Nithi River about 40 meters below along the Meru-Nairobi highway at around 6:40 p.m. (1540 GMT), Eastern Regional Police Commander Rono Bunei said on Monday. Bunei said the bus must have developed brake failure because it was at a very high speed when the accident happened. Also read: 22 killed in Egypt traffic accident The wreckage of the bus could be seen strewn on the hillside near the black spot. Alex Mugambi, Tharaka Nithi County Rescue team manager, said the death toll may rise. The accident is among a series of deadly crashes in the country. On July 8, more than 20 passengers were killed in an accident along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway. Also read: 13 killed in India bus accident