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Mad rush to home starts

Travellers pay double prices for tickets

SURANJITDeHNATII
With the beginning of the four-day Eid vacation today, tens of thousands of homebound passengers started leaving the capital city by buses, trains and launches, paying more than double the regular prices to celebrate the festival with their ncaranddearones.
Passengers said they are facing troubles in buying tickets and also have problems reaching the terminals as the traffic systems both inside and outside the terminals have broken down due to negligence ofthclawcnforccmcntagencies.
SADARGHAT
Passengers had to reach the Sadarghat launch terminal yesterday tltrough heavy traffic congestion from Gulistan to the terminal, taking as much as two hours.
Advance booking of cabins in luxury launches has almost finished, although the black marketeers are selling tickets at more than double the regular fare.
Brokers harass passengers if they do not agree to buy tickets at higher rates, passengers alleged.
A ticket seller at one launch said they have no way of preventing anyone from buying five or six tickets at a time and selling them later at highcrprices.
As during the past few days, most of the launches have anchored at mid-river, forcing passengers to reach the vessels by overloaded boats, risking accidents.
Many launches were seen overloaded with passengers.
Low and middle-income passengers who usually travel on deck are also paying exorbitant fares as some brokers in connivance with launch staff have already booked all the tickets for the deck.
"1 had to pay Tk 200 for a deck ticket for Bhola and the normal fare isTk 80," said Reza, a small trader at the Sadarghat terminal.
Ticket sellers of the Parabat, Sagar, Rajdoot and Surovi launches were charging Tk 1,200 toTk 1,500 for a single cabin whereas the nor-malratesarefromTk350 toTk500.
For a double cabin, Barisal and Pntuakhali-hnund nassenvers had
to pay die black marketeersTk 2,000 to 2,500 against the normal price of Tk600toTk800.
The law enforcement agencies removed all makeshift shops at the terminal yesterday, easing move-mentofpassengers.
KAMALAPUR STATION
Although passengers were not getting tickets at the station counters, brokers were selling those at higher prices near the Kamalapur overbridge while the Rapid action Battalion (Rab) was present at the station.
Railway staff at the counters said all advance tickets up to the Eld have .been sold out and authorities are bound to sell standing tickets to avoidgatheringofpassengers.
Hundreds of passengers were desperately looking for tickets, only to be disappointed yesterday, since they had no option but to look for brokers to collect tickets for an extra . price.
BUS TERMINALS
The situation at the Sayedabad, Gabtali and Mohakiiali bus terminals was somewhat better yesterday mainly because of the presence of Rab. Harassment of passengers was not seen but some bus operators were charging extra fares.
"We have to pay extra fares to go home on the eve of the Eid, but we forget the sufferings for the sake of reunion with our near and dear ones," said a passenger Abul Kalnm.