Garment factory closures intensify Eid travel rush in Gazipur

With only two days remaining before Eid-ul-Azha, garment factories in Gazipur have gradually begun shutting down for the holidays, triggering a surge of homebound travellers on highways and trains.

Although some factories started granting leave yesterday, most declared holidays today, sharply increasing passenger pressure at railway stations and on major roads.

Additional Superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police Khalilur Rahman said around 40 percent of factories had closed yesterday, while another 50 percent began holidays today.

“As a result, a huge number of workers started leaving the city for their hometowns at the same time,” he told The Daily Star around 11:00am.

According to Industrial Police sources, nearly 90 percent of factories in Gazipur had closed over the last two days. Currently, 2,674 factories operate in the Gazipur metropolitan area.

From this afternoon, large crowds of passengers were seen at Joydebpur Railway Junction, the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway and the Dhaka-Tangail Highway, with the pressure particularly high on trains heading to northern districts.

After 11:30am, continuous rainfall caused waterlogging in several areas, slowing traffic movement and worsening the suffering of Eid travellers.

A visit to Joydebpur Railway Junction found hundreds of passengers, including women and children, waiting on crowded platforms for delayed trains. Many were sitting with bags and luggage, while others struggled in the rain.

At Joydebpur intersection on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, garment worker Masuda Begum of Epyllion Group said heavy crowds were slowing travel.

“Our factory closed yesterday. Today I am travelling to Pabna,” she said.

“There is huge pressure on the highway, and moving with luggage is very difficult.”

Traffic Inspector Moniruzzaman, who was on duty at Chandana intersection in Gazipur, said congestion had developed in the Bhogra Bypass area earlier in the day before rainfall further slowed vehicle movement.

“Water has accumulated in the Bhogra area,” he said.

“At the same time, traffic pressure is increasing as factories close for Eid holidays. However, no major traffic jam had been reported until noon.”