The Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) has announced that no cattle haat will be allowed along roads and highways across the country to avoid traffic congestion during Eid-ul-Azha.

The announcement was made during a preparatory meeting with different stakeholders at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) head office in the capital’s Banani on Thursday.

In a bid to ensure safe and smooth travel for passengers, RTHD has instructed the relevant authorities not to allow the 217 temporary cattle markets that are usually set up alongside roads and highways for Eid-ul-Azha.

Some 155 traffic jam spots have been identified across the country, and the RTHD has asked authorities concerned to bring them under monitoring during Eid travel, said sources present in the meeting.

Meanwhile, instructions were given in the meeting to prioritise the crossing of vehicles carrying sacrificial animals and to keep electronic toll collection (ETC) booths open round the clock at toll plazas. The meeting also instructed the cattle-laden vehicles to hang a banner of the designated cattle markets in front of the vehicles.

The meeting decided that the movements of heavy vehicles such as trucks, covered vans, and lorries, except sacrificial animal-laden vehicles, will remain suspended on the highways for seven days, beginning three days ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, to ensure hassle-free travel for holidaymakers.

After the meeting, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said accidents on the roads increase after Eid due to a lack of monitoring, adding that road monitoring should be intensified to prevent the recurrence of accidents.

The minister said that various points, including the entrance to Dhaka, should be kept under strict vigilance to make the Eid journey free of traffic jams.

“People can travel from Cumilla to Dhaka in 30–40 minutes. However, due to heavy traffic, passengers often face one- to two-hour delays on the Hanif Flyover," Quader said, adding that this issue needs to be resolved in the national interest.

Calling upon the bus owners to stop charging extra fares to homebound people during Eid, Obaidul Quader said many ordinary passengers do not have the money to pay extra fares.

Meanwhile, the minister said CNG stations have been instructed to remain open round the clock for seven days before and five days after Eid-ul-Azha.

Addressing the ongoing road construction works, the minister instructed the authorities concerned to stop road digging during the Eid holidays to ensure safe and smooth travel for passengers. He also ordered a temporary suspension of road construction activities for seven days around Eid.