Due to absence of proper initiatives by the authorities of Cumilla City Corporation (CuCC), the city people are being victims of regular traffic congestion.
The conscious people of the city, however, opined the CuCC authorities are reluctant to resolve the traffic jam problem at present because of the upcoming poll.
According to them, any disciplinary measure to resolve the prevailing traffic jam of the city would create wrath and confusion among voters. As a result, disorderly traffic load is continuing in the city from the morning to the night.
Situated on some 54 sq km of areas, Cumilla Municipality was upgraded to the status of a City Corporation in 2011. Afterwards two elections of (CuCC) were held and new Mayors were elected by the city dwellers.
Though the Mayors and the councilors pledged during the campaigns of the polls to resolve the labyrinthine and hazardous traffic system of the city, none of them took any pragmatic step to resolve the crisis.
Read more: People suffer for traffic jam in Chitalmari
As a result, the traffic jam at Badsha Mia Bazaar area, Rescourse fly over, Jhautola, South side of Dharmasagar, Badutola, Kandirpar, Laksam road, Sadar Hospital crossing, Tomsom Bridge, area, Janagalia, Paduar Bazaar, Nazrul Avenue, Monoharpur, Rajganj and Chalkbazaar area are witnessing a regular traffic congestion.
The sufferings of the people, specially, the school, college students, patients who come to Cumilla for better treatment and various professional groups are the worst sufferers.
Sources said, there are several causes of acute traffic jam in Cumilla. One of those is the plying of excessive number of CNG auto-rickshaws without registrations.
These CNGs are garaged at Badsha Mia Bazar area, Rescource Fly over crossing, Court crossing, Rajganj square area, Chalkrajapur points, entire Kandirpar area and the Laksam road, Tomsom Bridge, Janagalia and Paduar Bazar areas where thousands of auto-rickshaws are garaged by covering the roads and roadside.
Drivers of the autos are seen to call the passengers to ride on their vehicles by blocking the easy movement through the roads.
Moreover, due to putting of construction materials on or beside the roads and garaging of private cars, microbus and bikes by occupying roads, the city traffic jam is intensifying day by day.
Another major cause of traffic jam in the city is setting up of shops beside the footpaths.
A responsible source of CuCC informed, they have no capability to identify the city traffic problems and also the authorities of CuCc are reluctant to identify and resolve these problems. CuCC authorities maintain that any measure to resolve the prevailing traffic congestion at present would adversely impact the next elections.
CuCC Mayor Monirul Haque Sakku while talking to this correspondent has identified the Traffic Congestion of the city as number one city problem and charged the battery operated three-wheelers as the main villains of traffic jam.
However, city people opined, the city traffic jam is unlikely to resolve unless the city footpaths are freed from the vendors, movement of heavy vehicles through city roads in banned during day time and the putting of construction materials of the city roads are stopped. They opined that the incumbent Mayor and his close circles are in opinion that any integrated initiative to remove city traffic jam would react adversely among the city dwellers and that would affect the upcoming polls of the CuCC. That is why the city people would continue to face the traffic jam until the end of the next CUCC polls.
