Chittagong travelers face severe congestion amid Eid exodus
Photo Collected
Thousands of travelers heading from Chittagong city toward the northern districts of Rauzan, Hathazari, and Fatikchhari faced grueling delays this Tuesday as the annual Eid-ul-Adha commute turned into a logistical nightmare. A journey that typically requires 40 to 45 minutes stretched into a five-hour ordeal, largely due to sprawling makeshift livestock markets set up along the main highway.
The congestion began shortly after passengers departed from the Oxygen terminal in the afternoon. As vehicles moved toward Aman Bazar, the flow of traffic ground to a halt, creating a miles-long queue of buses, trucks, and motorcycles. The situation was compounded by the presence of numerous small-to-large trucks loaded with sacrificial animals, which frequently stopped to load or unload cattle directly on or near the thoroughfare.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Rain earlier in the day had left the air thick and humid, turning the interior of the packed buses into stifling environments. For families traveling with small children and the elderly, the journey became an endurance test. Passengers described a scene of mounting frustration as their estimated arrival times slipped away, with many forced to field repeated calls from anxious relatives wondering why the commute was taking so long.
The epicenter of the gridlock was centered around the Choudhurihat area, where a massive, unauthorized cattle market had spilled onto the highway. The convergence of shoppers, traders, and heavy transport vehicles effectively paralyzed the road. While the atmosphere inside the market was one of festive commerce—with buyers haggling over prices and inspecting cattle—the contrast just meters away on the asphalt was stark. Exhausted passengers, seeing no end to the gridlock, were eventually forced to disembark and trek several kilometers on foot, hauling luggage and carrying children in hopes of finding clearer roads ahead.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Despite the widespread public dissatisfaction, there was a sense of resigned pragmatism among the travelers. Many remarked that such suffering has become an expected, albeit avoidable, component of the holiday transit experience. Critics pointed to a visible lack of administrative oversight, questioning why makeshift markets were permitted to obstruct critical arterial roads during one of the year’s busiest travel periods.
By the time buses finally reached their destinations in Rauzan, the five-hour journey had left passengers physically and mentally drained. The incident has reignited calls for tighter traffic management and stricter enforcement against encroachment on highways, as travelers continue to wonder why the joy of reuniting with family for the holidays must be preceded by such systemic neglect.
0%
0%
0%
0%
