Dhaka traffic comes to standstill in many parts
Noman Mosharef :
Dhaka, the bustling capital of Bangladesh has turned stand still due to huge traffic congestion mounting the people suffering with sweltering and heat.
The traffic jam became woes last few days in capital as the political parties especially the ruling Awami League (AL) and main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are holding rally and meeting in this densely populated metropolis.
On Monday, the second working day of the week, the city experienced severe traffic congestion on various roads.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Traffic Division reported that the morning witnessed a deluge of school and college-bound vehicles flooding Dhaka’s streets, leading to gridlocks at crucial points. Meanwhile, the met office forecasted dry weather across the country, with temperatures remaining unchanged.
In a city home to over 22 million people, office-goers often find themselves waiting for public transport.
On Monday, many who managed to board buses soon grew disillusioned when their commute became mired in Dhaka’s seemingly endless traffic snarls.
The traffic came to a crawl early in the day on Mirpur Road, especially around Technical Mor.
Those who surmounted that hurdle soon found themselves stuck in Kallyanpur, Shyamoli, near ShaheedSuhrawardy Medical College and then at Asad Gate, with almost two hours passing by while crossing such a short stretch of road.
Moreover, due to political meeting of AL in front of party office GulistanBanggobandu avenue and BNP’s in front of its office Nayapalton area, the Motojheel, Paltan, Gulistan, SegunBagicha, Santinagar areas turned stand still.
Even covering the short distance from BijoySarani to Farmgate took over an hour, and the scorching heat only compounded the travails of commuters.
Monday marked the end of autumn, with Tuesday heralding late autumn. However, the country has yet to experience the cooler temperatures typically associated with this season, as scorching heat disrupts lives in various districts, including Dhaka.
Tonmoy, who works at a private firm, departed from Mirpur for his office in the morning.
He said he had to endure an extended wait in Kalyanpur traffic, lamenting that morning traffic had become an unavoidable daily companion.
“We have to leave home every day anticipating that we will inevitably be stuck in Kalyanpur.
I do not understand why this happens in the same spot every day.”
Arif, travelling on public transport, expressed his frustration, emphasizing that no one tolerated traffic jams as a valid excuse for lateness anymore. He questioned how long people must allow for unforeseen delays when heading out.
MdMamun, a private car driver got stuck for 45 minutes in front of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) office in Segunbagicha area.
He said Gulistan and Paltan area’s traffic congestion makes road stuck as no vehicles could not plying.
Several officials from the Ramna and Tejgaon Traffic Division pointed to the concentration of schools and colleges in areas like Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Baily Road and Mohakhali as contributing to the intense traffic during the morning rush.
They acknowledged the significant volume of vehicles on the streets during school hours but assured the public that the Traffic Division was actively working to alleviate the traffic situation.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)Traffic- Motojhil Zone Assistant Police Commissioner (AC) MdImtiaz said political parties meeting in Gulistan and Nayapaltan areas have made the heavy traffic jam in the city.
