Dhaka, Aug 19 (UNB) - Over five million people have left capital Dhaka to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of the Muslims, with families in their village homes.

“More than 50 lakh people streamed out of the city over the last few days to celebrate Eid with their near and dear ones in village,” an intelligence official told UNB on Sunday.

As many left the city either in their own cars or the hired ones, the usual bustling of traffic has come down in the capital. The presence of rickshaws has also marked a sharp fall.

The homebound people crowded Gabtali, Sayedabad and Mohakhali inter-district bus terminals, Kamalapur Railway Station and Sadarghat launch terminal for the last few days desperately trying to buy tickets at high prices, though most of the transports departed the terminals for their respective destinations much behind their schedules.

As in previous years, the city’s major exit points have been experiencing severe traffic jams for the last few days as people started getting out of the city since Tuesday morning as they have got almost a weeklong holiday, including the National Mourning Day, Shab-E-Qadr and weekly holidays.

Witnesses said railway stations and bus and launch terminals had taken chaotic look as thousands of people tried to jump onto the roofs of trains, busses and launches even using ladders in their frantic bid to go back home.

The Eid will be celebrated in the country tomorrow Monday. The National Moon Sighting Committee decided the date of the Eid at a meeting held on Saturday evening at the Islamic Foundation’s Baitul Mukarram office.