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The capital city was slowly returning to normal after the Eid-ul-Fitr festival, as people from different parts of the country started returning to Dhaka Monday.
The Eid holiday officially ended on Sunday, and a large number of people arrived at Gabtoli, Sayedabad, Fulbaria, Mohakhali, Kamalapur and Sadarghat terminals from various regions with long-distance buses, trains and launches on Monday.
Those, who had to return to work, reached the capital smoothly, as there was no major traffic congestion on the highways.
Most government and private sector offices, courts, banks, financial institutions and NGOs reopened on Monday with a low presence of employees as well as less transactions.
Majority of the city shopping malls and shops remained closed on the day.
This year, the Eid holiday had an additional one-day general holiday on the 28th Ramadan (April 20), resulting in five consecutive days off for the government and many other office employees.
While talking to transport operators and passengers, it was found that there would be pressure to return to Dhaka from North Bengal from Wednesday.
On Monday, many buses returned to Dhaka's Gabtali, Sayedabad, Shyamoli, Kalyanpur, Jatrabari, Fulbaria, etc, all of which were full of passengers.
However, many of the city dwellers were seen going to their village and town homes on Sunday and Monday after the Eid day. Bus companies were busy with these passengers of mainly northern and north-western regions.
Kamalpur Railway Station (KRS) in the city also witnessed a notable crowd on Monday, as in addition to the returnee passengers, many were also leaving the city after Eid.
Thousands of shop owners and their employees in Dhaka go their village and town homes after the Eid day to join their family members, he noted.
Visiting Dhaka River Port Terminal at Sadarghat in the capital, the FE correspondent found a significant number of holidaymakers returning to the capital from districts like Barishal, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barguna and Chandpur after celebrating the Eid festival.
Meanwhile, the presence of government employees in different ministries at the Bangladesh Secretariat was also low on Monday, as many took a one or two-day additional leave, said officials.