Touts feast on Eid tickets

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On the eve of the Eid-ul-Fitr, thousands of city dwellers craving to celebrate the greatest religious festival of the Muslims with their near and dear ones at their village homes are getting frustrated due to non-availability of advance tickets of inter-district buses, launches and trains.

Many of the sufferers yesterday alleged massive scalping of tickets by a net work of people in the transport sector and black marketeers. An artificial crisis of tickets is being created to force people to buy tickets at prices much higher than the usual fare.

At Gabtoli and Sayedabad bus terminals, Kamalapur railway station and Sadarghat launch terminals, hundreds of people were found disgruntled as they did get advance tickets for their journey home.

An employee of Matijheel Model High School, Wazed Ali, came to the railway station to buy tickets for Dewanganj in Jamalpur for journey on October 23. He move about at the station for about two hours from noon but could not manage any ticket.

The staff at the ticket counters, when asked, told this correspondent that Star that all advance tickets for October 23 were sold out by 11:00am yesterday. And tickets for October 24 would be available today (The Eid might be celebrated that day).

Station Manager at Kamalapur Asoke Kumar Dey said, ” On average we are selling daily 10,000 tickets of 19 inter-city trains operating in different routes across the country.

“We started selling advance tickets on October 15, and it will continue till tomorrow (today)”. We have also annexed three to four compartments with each train so that all passengers can get tickets.”

Hundreds of people crowded Sayedabad bus terminal yesterday for advance tickets but the staff at ticket counters said this time they were not selling advance tickets.

Sayadabad Bus Terminal Owners’ Association General Secretary A N M Mujibullah Naser told The Daily Star, “Passengers will get tickets at the counters when they will start their journey home”.

“This time we are operating 200 more buses than in the previous year, and we have also kept 200 buses reserved for city service. We hope passengers will not find any trouble in getting tickets .”

But different sources at the terminal said sale of advance tickets has been stopped only sell those at much higher prices.

When asked, a number ticket counter staff at the bus terminals said all advance tickets were sold out from October 8 to 12.

Similar was the situation at Sadarghat Launch terminal.

Bangladesh Inland Waterways Passenger carriers Association Vice President Muhammad Badiuzzaman Badal said they started selling advance tickets in the first week of Ramadan.

“Eighty per cent cabin tickets for Barisal route have been already sold out. For Bhola route, it is 75 per cent, Borguna route 60 per cent and other routes at least 60 per cent,” he added.

They will double the trips of launches and steamers to avoid any crisis on the eve of the Eid, he mentioned.

Meanwhile, the home ministry yesterday directed police to take stern action against black marketeers of bus, train and launch ticket.

A control room has been set up at Sadarghat launch terminal to ensure smooth journey of homebound passengers. Besides, three temporary terminals have been set up to ease the situation.

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