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BANGLADESH: Mass holiday exodus raises safety concerns
01 Oct 2008 13:38:20 GMT
 Source: IRIN
DHAKA, 1 October 2008 (IRIN) - After a month of fasting, millions of people are leaving the cities to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in their villages, raising health and safety concerns.

The biggest Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, will be celebrated on 2 October.     Although urbanising at an increasing rate, Bangladesh remains predominantly an agrarian society with nearly 70 percent of the population living in the villages. Every year, scores of people die in accidents during the Eid holidays, as millions make their way home by bus, train and motor launch for their home towns and villages to celebrate.

Those who come to the cities maintain a very strong rural connection. Traditionally, immediate family members, including parents, wives and children, live in the ancestral homes.   More than half of the 12 million inhabitants of Dhaka are expected to leave the capital by the end of 1 October.

Bangladesh's Hindu population also joined the exodus as Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of Bengali Hindus, which began on 30 September, added to this year's logistical nightmare. The 10-day festival will continue to 9 October.   "Mad rush"

Kamalapur, the hub of the country's rail network in Dhaka, was teeming with people waiting for 22 inter-city trains. Four special Eid trains were laid on for 1 October, stationmaster Jitendra Saha said.   Zahirul Islam, a banker, said he had failed to buy a train ticket. "I know this mad rush happens every year. So, I thought it wise to send the children and their mother home a week ago. I sent them to Sylhet last week and am quite comfortable going alone. I know I will be able to manage one train ticket from some of the black market sellers," he said.

Shammi Akhter, a Chittagong-bound train passenger, said her two-year-old son had fainted amid heavy crowd pressure, but her husband could not secure a ticket despite a long wait in the queue.

"There are more people than our normal capacity. The rush is more than that of other years because both Muslims and Hindus are rushing home at the same time," Jitendra Saha, stationmaster of Kamalapur, explained.   Those who do not find a place inside the compartments clamber on to the roofs.   No seats   Thousands were waiting at Dhaka's Gabtoli inter-district bus terminal - from where the north-Bengal bound buses leave - amid uncertainty as to whether they would be able to secure a ticket or not.     Road traffic conditions had already intensified.   "My bus was supposed to leave Dhaka for Gaibandha at 10 o'clock last night [30 September]. It is 12 o'clock today [1 October]. There is no sign of the bus arriving. The ticket master says he does not know when the journey might begin," said an angry Abdus Sobhan, a computer operator.   The situation was similar at Dhaka's Sadarghat terminal from where boats ply 41 river routes.   A Barisal-bound launch passenger, Quader Hossain, said he bought a ticket on the black market for 400 taka (US$5.90), more than twice the regular fare of 184 taka ($2.70).   The motor-launch passengers were seen scrambling for a place even on the deck of the launches by paying extra for tickets.

  However, Monwar Hossain, secretary of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, rejected allegations of extortion, telling IRIN there was no scope for extracting extra money from passengers as it was monitoring the situation closely.

Accidents   Over the past decade, thousands of people have lost their lives in tragic accidents involving the often antiquated vessels, many of which are overcrowded and badly maintained.     According to specialists, the main cause of such accidents is overloading of passengers and goods, carelessness about safety, negligence and failure to provide necessary lifesaving equipment in the boats.   After Indonesia and Pakistan, Bangladesh has the third-largest Muslim population in the world today.  

sa/ds/mw

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


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