by Staff Correspondent,

Dhaka – The government has decided to allow motorbikes on the highways during the upcoming vacation for Eid-al-Fitr, one of the major religious festivals for Muslim faith.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Qader made this information public on Sunday after a meeting on the transport sector’s preparation for the vacation.

Hundreds of thousands of people travel to their home villages from major cities during the Eid-al-Fitr to celebrate the religious festival in the Muslim-majority country.

Motorbikes were restricted for long-haul trips on the highways during the last year’s festival of Eid-al-Adha, considering the rate of road accidents.

Motorbikes accounts for the highest number of road crash fatalities in the South Asian country, where roughly 8,000 people die because of road accidents thanks to lax implementation of regulations and poor road conditions.

The minister, however, said no bikes will be allowed on the newly constructed Padma Bridge, the longest road bridge that connected the capital Dhaka with 22 south-western districts.  

Qader also asked the authorities concerned to take necessary measures to ensure normal traffic movement on Dhaka-Gazipur section of the highway during the Eid vacation.

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