Public transport will ply during Eid: Quader

Public transport will ply across the country during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha, said road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday.

Quader, also general secretary of ruling Bangladesh Awami League, said movement of heavy vehicles will remain halted for three days before Eid.

Several types of goods carrying vehicles and emergency service vehicles will remain outside the purview of this order, the minister added.

Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) authorities will issue a notification regarding the matter, he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the shipping ministry decided to keep the movement of launch, ferry and other water transports normal, maintaining health guidelines and physical distancing rules. The railway ministry said it would follow the decision the government takes.

Before that, state minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury said transport movement will remain suspended for nine days before and after Eid-ul-Azha to contain the spread of coronavirus. He came up with the information while addressing a meeting on ensuring safe journey of home-bound people at the secretariat.

On 13 July, cabinet division sent a letter to public safety division and highways division, saying that experts have asked to control the movement of people during the Eid-ul-Azha to curb the outbreak of novel coronavirus infection.

Before that, on 10 July, the National Technical Advisory Committee, formed to face the novel virus infection threat, advised to stop the people’s movement from Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur and Chattogram to other parts of the country during the Eid holidays.

However, the cabinet division in an order on 30 June, said the movement of people and vehicles will be unhindered in a limited scale following the health guidelines and social distancing rules.