Dhaka: With the Eid-ul-Azha getting closer, city dwellers, especially the family members of those in both government and private jobs, started leaving the capital from Tuesday morning.

As the official Eid holidays start on Friday, officials and employees of government, semi-government and private offices will leave for their village homes from Thursday, which is the last office day before the Eid day.

Kamalapur Railway Station, three major bus terminals and Sadarghat Ferry Terminal were seen overcrowded with the home-goers on Tuesday.  Around 6-7 million people are expected to leave the capital for their native villages to celebrate the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha with their near and dear ones, said Deputy Commissioner (Media) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Masudur Rahman.

"Though thousands of villages in a number of districts have been marooned due to flood, it seems to me that most of the city dwellers will leave the capital defying the natural calamity," he said.

Secretary General of Passengers' Welfare Association Bangladesh (PWAB) Mozammel Hoque Chowdhury said around 55 percent and 35 percent of the holidaymakers will travel by roads and railways respectively, while the rest will use waterways.

The government launched special train services on different routes across the country from Monday to carry the homebound passengers and it will continue till Friday.

DMP and Rapid Action Battalion have already taken all-out measures to ensure the safety of the homebound people.

Both plainclothes and uniformed police were performing their duties round the clock at all bus and launch terminals and railway stations to prevent 'Malam party' and 'Agyan party' men as well as other criminals and ensure hassle-free journeys for the Eid trippers.

Though there was a tailback on the Dhaka-Tangail highway on Monday night following an accident, the vehicular movement remains almost smooth from Tuesday morning, said highway police super (Dhaka) Shafiqul Islam.

He said the traffic remained normal as of 7:45 pm. The pressure of vehicles might increase after 12pm on Wednesday as a large number of garment workers would start for their respective village homes, he said.

Besides, there was a 5-6km tailback on Dhaka-Chittagong highway up to Daudkandi on Tuesday evening, he said.