Passengers’ face immense sufferings due to AL-BNP street marches
Staff Reporter :
Commuters in Dhaka and adjacent districts suffered an extensive traffic congestion due to simultaneous programs being held in the capital by both the ruling Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The BNP and its allied political parties have initiated a nationwide march, demanding the government’s resignation while the Awami League has scheduled the “Peace and Development Procession” event on Tuesday.
As BNP started its march at 10:30am from Dhaka’s Gabtoli, a 2-km tailback stretching from Gabtali to the Salehpur Bridge area in Savar created, on the Dhaka-Aricha highway, the entry
point of the capital.
Likewise, Dhaka city South Awami League commenced their procession from the Institution of Engineers at 03.40 towards Dhanmondi 32 which further aggravated the traffic gridlock in the adjacent areas and forced commuters to walk to their destinations.
As the supporters of the two parties started gathering at the point of starting, the entire city gradually became standstill since 11am.
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 same picture was seen in, Kazipara, Angargao, Shyamoli, Bijoy Soroni, Farmgate, Shahbagh, Kalabagan, Paltan, Gulistan, Matijheel, Ittefak Morareas in the capital.
Dhaka district BNP’s March program additionally resulted in severe traffic congestion along a five-kilometer stretch of the Dhaka-Aricha highway, spanning from Islampur in Dhamrai to Nabinagar in Savar.
Common passengers faced significant difficulties due to the intense heat and traffic jam.
Hossain Shahid Chowdhury, the Traffic Inspector (Administration) of Dhaka District North, stated that the BNP’s march in Gabtali had resulted in traffic jams on the Dhaka-bound lane of the Dhaka-Aricha highway, extending up to the Aminbazar area.
Kamal Hossain, a 45-year-old private service holder, shared his experience of heading to Mirpur-10 from Savar.
As their bus reached the Aminbazar area, traffic movement had been halted for hours.I missed the schedule at my head-office and I missed my whole day as well.
A student named Ahmed Saklayeen Romel appealed to political parties to schedule protest programs during holidays or weekends to mitigate traffic congestion.
