Commuters suffer as AL brings out rally in Dhaka

Staff Reporter :
Commuters in the capital suffered immensely due to blockade of traffic movements on the streets as the ruling Awami League brought out a procession on Saturday marking Victory Day.
Thousands of the ruling AL leaders and activists brought out processions with colourful banners, festoons with chanting slogans from different areas to go to the Shahbagh intersection before the noon as it was scheduled to start the Victory Day rally towards Bangabandhu Museum, Dhanmondi 32 afternoon, parading Shahbag, Elephant Road, Science Lab, Kalabagan and Mirpur Road.
Traffic movement was blocked from the High Court area to Shahbagh intersection owing to the rally. Trucks loaded with the party activists were seen parked on the streets and pedestrians could not cross the area due to the gathering of Awami League men.
“I got into a bus at 11am from Mirpur to go to the National Press Club by 2:00pm. But I found myself at Karwan Bazar at 3:50pm due to the ruling party’s rally. It had created acute traffic gridlock in the street and untold public sufferings also,” said Satyan Karmakar, a private office worker of the Topkhana Road in the capital.
The other commuter of the same bus also described their sufferings stuck with the streets.
 “I boarded a bus from Motijheel at 2:15pm to go to my home at Mohammadpur. Curiously the bus crossed the Ramna area after Maghrib prayer at 5:30 pm,” said Khabir Hossain, a small trader.
Numbers of buses, private cars and other small vehicles were found stuck at Matsya Bhaban intersection, Shahbagh, Kakrail and adjacent areas due to the programme of the ruling party.
Seeing journalists, many commuters through the windows of buses started delivering their allegations with requests to publish those so that the political parties shun the street programme for the sake of people’s sufferings.
Contacted, a traffic police officer of Ramna division said that a temporary traffic jam was created in Shahbagh, Kakrail and Matsya Bhaban intersections and adjacent areas as hundreds of Awami League leaders and activists gathered in the area to join the scheduled Victory Day rally.
The police officer, however said, the vehicular movement was stopped for a short period. He said, as it was Saturday, one of the weekly holydays, the people did not have to suffer much.
Sheikh Bazlur Rahman, Dhaka Metropolitan North unit Awami League President inaugurated the rally at the Engineers Institution premises and Humayun Kabir, the General Secretary of Dhaka Metropolitan South unit Awami League moderated the event.
Awami League General Secretary and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader attended the programme as the chief guest and Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque, and Information Minister Hasan Mahmud, among others, addressed the rally.