Dhaka, March 29 -- As Eid-ul-Fitr approaches, traffic on highways is increasing, with a rush of homebound travellers passing through the Maowa end of the Padma Bridge, the gateway to southern Bangladesh.

In 24 hours from Thursday midnight to Friday midnight, a total of 39,637 vehicles crossed the Padma Bridge, generating over Tk 42.5 million in tolls, according to Quazi Ferdous, chief engineer of the bridge authority.

Among the vehicles, at least 10,000 were motorcycles.

To manage the growing pressure, an additional temporary toll booth has been set up at the Maowa end of the bridge from Saturday, the second day of the nine-day holiday.

Vehicles, including motorcycles, are passing through nine lanes.

Many travellers set off early in ...