Six-day pause on truck, covered van trips before and after Eid

The Bangladesh government has decided to suspend the movement of freight trucks and covered vans for a total of six days before and after Eid-ul-Azha to ensure smooth travel for holidaymakers.

The decision was announced by Road Transport Advisor Fouzul Kabir Khan at a briefing on preparations for the Eid holidays at the Bidyut Bhaban in Dhaka on Monday.

He said, “To provide relief for Eid travellers, the movement of trucks, covered vans, and lorries will be suspended for six days—Jun 4, 5 and 6 before Eid and Jun 12, 13 and 14 after Eid.

“However, vehicles carrying cattle, perishable goods, and clothing, among other export-oriented goods, will be allowed to operate during this time.”

Stating that sacrificial animal markets will not be allowed on roads and highways, the advisor said, “All measures have been taken to make the Eid journeys smooth and free from extortion. Decisions have been taken not to charge additional fares from passengers, stop extortion in the transport of sacrificial animals, increase monitoring to prevent accidents, and provide additional coaches for the railways.”

He also said that the electricity demand will be low during Eid.

When asked to comment on reports that there is currently about 600MW of load shedding, the advisor said: “We are addressing the issue of load shedding. The additional load shedding is not due to a lack of power generation. It is due to grid problems.

“We are also bringing in more fuel. We have taken the initiative to run oil machines. If people go to the villages during Eid, the AC load will decrease. There will be no electricity problem. We are bringing in four (cargoes of) LNG.”

At the briefing, Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain said: “We are preparing this time by making use of the experiences from the last Eid. Last Eid, 15 million people travelled. We are preparing so that citizens do not have a bad experience while travelling during Eid.

“Since the Qurbani markets and animal transport need attention this time, preparations have been taken to ensure that the money from selling cows at the cattle market can be safely carried.

“For this, we want the cooperation of political parties, social organisations, passengers, transport owners’ associations, and labour leaders. We are prepared to respond quickly if any kind of complaint is filed.”