Garment factory holidays trigger 15km tailback centring Gazipur’s Chandra

A 15-kilometre tailback has been reported on the Dhaka–Tangail highway, centring around the Chandra intersection in Gazipur.

Commuters have spent hours in the journey, exacerbated by a heavy spell of rain, after paying up to five times the normal fare for the travel ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

The traffic chaos intensified on Monday afternoon as garment factories in the Gazipur industrial zone started closing for the holidays, unleashing a massive wave of workers onto both the Dhaka–Tangail and Dhaka–Mymensingh highways.

The rush quickly created severe bottlenecks in key areas, including Konabari, Shafipur, Palli Bidyut, Chandra, Kharajora, and Baimail.

Despite no shortage of vehicles on the roads, transport operators were allegedly charging exorbitant fares, holidaymakers alleged.

Passengers said fares on the short trip from Savar’s DEPZ area to Chandra, normally Tk 20 to Tk 30, had jumped to Tk 100–Tk 150.

The fare to Tangail rose to Tk 500, while tickets for several northern districts were selling for as much as Tk 1,000.

"Like everyone else, I started my miserable journey, sandwiched between gridlocks and extra fares," said Abul Kalam, a Rangpur-bound garment worker.

"The vehicle seems totally stuck here in Chandra."

Journalist Golam Mortuja Antu, who left Dhaka at 3:15pm for Thakurgaon, recounted being stuck in multiple gridlocks.

By 7:30pm, he had only reached the Chandra flyover and was still unable to cross the intersection 15 minutes later.

He alleged that transport workers were exacerbating the situation by stopping buses directly on the highway to pick up passengers right in front of the police.

Currently, the tailback stretches over 10km from Elenga to Chandra on the Dhaka–Tangail highway, and another 5hm on the Chandra–Nabinagar highway.

The Dhaka–Mymensingh highway also saw a massive influx of travellers from Savar, Ashulia, and Narayanganj heading north through Gazipur.

Crowds swelled significantly around Tongi, Board Bazar, Bhogra, Chowrasta, Rajendrapur, and Maona.

Traffic Police Inspector Md Shafik Hossain, stationed in Tongi, said vehicles had been crawling from Tongi to College Gate since morning.

The situation worsened dramatically after a heavy downpour left knee-deep water logging the Bhogra area, right as factory workers joined the commute.

Mariam Begum, 45, who was waiting for a bus to Mymensingh with her family outside the Dhaka Imperial Hospital in Tongi, described facing immense suffering finding a ride home with their luggage.

Gazipur Industrial Police Superintendent Md Amjad Hossain said 45 percent of the factories closed on Monday.

Another 47 percent are scheduled to close on Tuesday, followed by 8 percent on May 27, leaving only 3 percent open during the holidays.

Saugatul Alam, chief of the Konabari-Naojor Highway Police Station, noted that while Chandra normally handles around 200,000 commuters daily, the number surges to 1.5 to 2 million during Eid.

"With such immense pressure, completely avoiding traffic jams is nearly impossible," he said.

Gazpiur Deputy Commissioner Nurul Karim Bhuiyan said 18 executive magistrates have been deployed at critical points along the highway.

They are being supported by the police, Ansar, and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) -- including a dedicated 10-member BGB team working round-the-clock to keep the Gazipur Chowrasta intersection functional.