The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The government and private offices, banks and courts opened yesterday after a three-day Eid-ul-Azha vacation from December 20 to 22. But the festival fever still grips the capital with most shops remaining closed and less than normal traffic on the street.

Criminal courts opened yesterday while the civil courts were enjoying vacation. However, attendance appeared thin everywhere including offices.

In the city, most of the city dwellers were seen visiting houses of relatives and friends as well as amusement parks and the zoo. Besides, a section of them went to different cinemas for enjoying Bangla Eid releases.

During the Eid vacation the city looked abandoned. The homebound people started to leave the city two days before the Eid. As hundreds of thousands of vacationers had battled traffic chaos to leave Dhaka city in the days leading up to the Eid, it seemed they were in no hurry to return yesterday as Dhaka city enjoyed another day of relative tranquillity.

People who left Dhaka for their hometowns and villages to celebrate the Eid with kith and kin gradually started returning to the city yesterday. But in full swing work is expected to resume after the Christmas Day on December 25.

This year's celebrations were largely subdued in the cyclone-hit southern regions. In fact, few were able to sacrifice any animal on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha this year.