Commuters on Monday experienced the worst gridlock in the city as a group of students of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute blocked the Satrasta Mor in Tejgaon area.
People living in the capital Dhaka have also been facing severe gridlock on the city’s roads for the last seven days as authorities concerned have failed to bring order on roads and in the transport sector.
Students and office-goers suffered immensely due to traffic chaos at several points in Dhaka, including Tongi, Uttara, Airport, Mohakhali, Bijoy Sarani and Bangla Motor areas. Vehicles were seen stranded for hours on these roads on Monday.
Besides, Asadgate, Khilgaon, Moghbazar, Mohammadpur and Dhanmondi areas this correspondent found huge tailbacks in many alleys and main roads especially near schools and colleges, causing untold sufferings to the dwellers, including school children.
The city people had thought that metrorail, elevated expressway, and flyovers would end their long-standing sufferings on the one hand, and accelerate the economy on the other hand.
In fact, the long-standing expectation of the residents of Dhaka has not been fulfilled yet as most of the commuters in Dhaka remained stuck for hours in unusual traffic jam.
Commuters who usually use Satrasta, Farmgate, Mohakhali, Abdullahpur-Khilkhet, Saidabad-Rampura and Airport-Mohakhali roads are the worst sufferers.
On Monday a group of students under the banner of “Karigori Chhatra Andolon” blocked the Satrasta Mor in Dhaka's Tejgaon, causing severe traffic jam and suffering for city commuters.
Talking to Bangladesh Post Assistant Commissioner Snehasis said hundreds of students of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute gathered in the intersection and blocked the Satrasta Mor.
“Due to their blockade, the road from Farmgate to Shahbagh via Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue was almost at a standstill for hours on Monday,” he added.
He also said severe congestion was also seen in Eskaton, Moghbazar, and Hatirjheel areas of the capital, with traffic backing up on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway’s off ramps in Farmgate and Hatirjheel.
When contacted Khandkar Faridul Islam Joint Police Commissioner (Traffic-South), DMP said extra pressure of vehicles especially covered vans and battery-run autorickshaws continued to cause worry of huge gridlock.
When asked why the traffic police stationed in the city’s different strategic points are reluctant to control the traffic, Faridul Islam avoided the question saying slow-moving vehicles, including rickshaws, battery-run rickshaws are still running across the city.
“Therefore, a sorry state is prevailing across the city transport management system. We have nothing to do in this regard,” the official said.
VVIP movement and demonstrations by different organisations in the city are causing the traffic gridlock, a senior traffic officer told this correspondent preferring anonymity.
Many development works have been done during the immediate past government, but the city has not seen a transport policy and proper management in transportation in the Dhaka city.
Most of the buses plying on the city roads are old and dilapidated, they do not have any license, do not bother to abide by the law and remained parked on the street abruptly.
Abul Quashem, a college teacher, said he went out of his Gazipur residence to go to Moghbazar in the morning but could not reach Airport bus stand even after around two and a half hours.
“I don’t know when I will be able to reach home as vehicles remained stranded on the road for hours,” he said.
Like him, many commuters suffered immensely on gridlocked roads on Monday.
Many had thought that they would not face any gridlock on their ways as the city roads and streets usually remain free in the morning.
But they saw their hopes for reaching office on time shattered.
Apart from the office goers, morning shift students and teachers of schools and colleges also had to go through tremendous sufferings due to lack of public transport and traffic jam.
Besides, different political parties’ programmes on roads have also recently deteriorated traffic situation in the city.
Students of universities, colleges and schools and employees of different organisations often demonstrated at different parts of the city, protesting against any issue or demanding fulfil their demand, bringing the entire city traffic to a standstill.
So, it seems that there is no end to people’s sufferings. Traffic jam not only kills the time but also ruin commuters’ energy.
There is still indiscipline on the roads across the city.
The traffic gridlock has now turned into a terrible situation, forcing many commuters to walk on foot to their respective destinations amid scorching sun and dust.
This standoff continues plunging the city’s public transportation system into further chaos, causing immense sufferings to them.
People are spending a lot of money and time due to the chaotic movement of public transport in the city.
It is the responsibility of traffic police, BRTA, city corporations and bus owners’ organisations to maintain the order in public transport in the city.
City commuters said the authorities concerned must take integrated, coordinated and effective measures to bring the traffic system of the capital under one discipline as early as possible.
Besides, as many as seven lakh of non-mechanical vehicles such as rickshaws, vans and carts have been plying the city roads alongside the mechanical vehicles which have greatly contributed to the city’s nagging traffic jams.
Mechanical and non-mechanical vehicles are also kept on our main city roads in a scattered way.
