AL, BNP rallies in Dhaka: Commuters suffer as public transport scarce on Dhaka streets
Staff Reporter :
Commuters in Dhaka and adjacent districts have immensely suffered due to a surprising scarcity of public transport as the rallies of Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are taking place in the capital on the same day.
The ruling Awami League organized its rally outside Baitul Mukarram mosque, less than two kilometers from the BNP’s program at Naya Paltan on Wednesday.
As the supporters of the two parties started gathering in the areas, Motijheel and Paltan became totally off limits to traffic in the afternoon.
The traffic jam quickly spread to the rest of the city after police diverted the vehicles.
The number of passengers is fewer than other days, but those who have gone out of the house for urgent needs are finding it difficult to get on a bus to go to their destinations.
Some bus owners have decided not to operate their buses due to security concerns, while others are charging exorbitant fares.
The road in front of the BNP central office in Naya Paltan remained closed since Wednesday morning, causing traffic congestion and inconvenience for commuters using the route.
Passengers have to wait for a long time to get on buses to go from the Press Club to other places.
The same picture was seen in Mohakhali, Gulshan, Kazipara, Angargao, Shyamoli, Bijoy Shoroni, Farmgate, Shahbagh, Paltan, Gulistan, and Moghbazar area in the capital.
Solaiman, an employee of an office in Motijheel, said he tried for two hours but could not get on any bus.
“I will probably have to miss work today,” he said around 11:00am. Kamal Hossain, a 45-year-old private service holder, shared his experience of heading to Mohakhali from Savar.
As their bus reached the Aminbazar area in Savar, some members of police prevented it from moving towards Dhaka. Consequently, all the passengers were asked to get down.
Zainul Abedin, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s traffic department, said they were using diversion to control traffic. “The pressure has increased as some streets are blocked.”
