The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry has instructed the Bridges Division to begin preparations immediately to ensure smooth, safe and hassle-free travel during the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.

Bridges Minister Sheikh Robiul Alam on Friday visited the country’s largest communication infrastructure, the Padma Bridge, as part of his pre-scheduled tour.

During the inspection, the minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the authorities to ensure safe, uninterrupted and comfortable road travel for the public.

“Under any circumstances, we must ensure safe, smooth and comfortable Eid journeys for people across the country, including those travelling to the southwestern region, during the upcoming holy Eid-ul-Fitr,” he said.

Following the minister’s directives, Bridges Division Secretary and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority Mohammad Abdur Rouf instructed the concerned officials to undertake a comprehensive 45-day action plan — starting from the beginning of Ramadan and continuing until 15 days after Eid — to keep Eid travel smooth and orderly.

He laid special emphasis on keeping all toll lanes operational round the clock to handle the anticipated surge in traffic on the Padma Bridge during Eid. Adequate manpower deployment and ensuring discipline and efficiency in toll collection were also stressed.

The secretary directed that, alongside all toll booths, Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) lanes remain operational at all times to facilitate faster, transparent and seamless toll collection and significantly reduce the risk of congestion.

He also instructed officials to ensure necessary technical readiness and sufficient staffing to implement the measures effectively.

To address any untoward incidents swiftly, authorities were asked to keep an adequate number of wreckers, fire vehicles and other emergency service units ready, strengthen fire safety measures and maintain round-the-clock monitoring.

At the same time, close coordination and effective communication with local administration, highway police, fire service and civil defence and other relevant agencies were emphasised.

During the visit, the Bridges Division secretary directed that the ongoing bus bay construction work at the Mawa end of the bridge be completed and opened to the public before Eid-ul-Fitr. He said once operational, the bus bay would streamline passenger boarding and alighting, reduce congestion on the main carriageway and enhance overall travel safety and comfort during Eid.

Additionally, in the interest of road safety, necessary steps were ordered to remove shops and illegal structures built on government land adjacent to the Padma Bridge approach roads to prevent obstruction to traffic movement and significantly reduce accident risks.