Bus tickets for Eid-trip already sold

Thousands of city dwellers are becoming frustrated for not finding advance Eid tickets as they desired to celebrate the holy Eid-ul-Fitr, the greatest religious festival of the Muslims, with their near and dear ones at village homes.

Hundreds of people crowded at the counters of Gabtoli, Shayamoli and Kallanpur bus terminals yesterday for advance tickets but the staff of many counters told them that their advance tickets have already been sold. It was the third day for selling of the advance Eid tickets.

The city dwellers alleged that black marketeers have already collected the lion's share of the tickets. They are now charging from the home-goers more than two to three times high than the actual price of tickets, ignoring the government warning. But there is none to see the agony of the home goers.

Meanwhile, on the eve of the Eid-ul-Fitr, passengers are compelled to undergo innumerable hardship as well as harassment in the ordeal of purchasing tickets. They are forced to accept the back marketeers terms as they have no alternative avenue left, if they want to go to their homes to celebrate the holy occasion, said the dwellers. An artificial crisis of tickets is being created to force Passengers frustrated people to buy tickets at high price, alleged the passengers.

Wazed Ali, an employee of a school and a resident of Motijheel area wants to go to Barisal, his home district. He tried for two hours at Gabtoli bus terminal to get advance Eid tickets but all his efforts went into futile.

He said that a group of people who are relatives of the staff members of the company collected five to seven tickets in one name. They will sell those before two or three day's of the Eid with high price. This group artificially created the ticket crisis, he alleged.

Some counter staff members said that the advance tickets for Eid have already been sold. Actually there is no crisis of tickets, they make an artificial ticket crisis, said Manjur Alam, who will go to Comilla on the night of twenty-eight of Ramzan.

Some people alleged that the terminal counter staff are taking the excessive fares more than the government approves charge. But there is no authority to monitor it.

About the ticket crisis, Abul kalam Azad, a staff of Saudia Counter said we are selling advance tickets for every day not at all time altogether.

When asked about the reason for ticket crisis, manager of a Hanif Enterprise, seeking anonymity said that the black marketeers are too influential to capture the tickets. The black marketeers with the help of local influential people have grabbed most of the tickets.

He also said that Hanif Enterprise counter, most of the owners of the inter-district bus companies had increased the number of coaches, yet there is a ticket crisis.

Another counter manager of Nabil Enterprise blamed the black marketeers that each of the black marketers hired young men to collect tickets from the booths and preserved those for selling at higher rates later.

Many passengers alleged that there is no authority in the bus terminals to look after the passenger's harassment. They asked the concerned government authority to look after matter.

On the other hand, the Eid advance ticket for train service will start from 31 of this month, sources said.