Dhaka, July 21 (Just News): Commuters in the capital suffered a lot on Saturday for lack of public transports at places and severe gridlock at other places due to the mass reception accorded to prime minister Sheikh Hasina by the ruling Awami League for her various achievements.
The gridlock and absence of vehicles left the commuters helpless on the roads, compelling many to stay stuck in tailbacks or walk their destinations.
Use of buses for transportation of the ruling party activists to join PM’s mass reception at Suhrawardy Udyan triggered severe scarcity of transports, especially in the afternoon, commuters in different city areas complained.
The AL organised the mass reception for the prime minister, also AL president, for her government’s success in leading Bangladesh towards attaining the developing country status by graduating from the group of least-developed countries, sending Bangabandhu Seattleite-1 in the space and for achieving Doctor of Letters degree from Kazi Nazrul University in India.
Taking advantage of the situation, CNG auto-rickshaw drivers and rickshaw-pullers charged fares almost double.
‘I waited in vain for about an hour at Bouddha Mandir of capital’s Sabujbagh to get a bus to go to Gulistan and finally began to walk to go to my destination,’ said Ahmedul Kabir, a resident of Kadamtala in the city, about 12:45pm.
Sharmin Sultana, with her two-year old daughter from Narayanganj, managed to reach Matijheel paying Tk 450 to an auto-rickshaw driver to go to her in-law’s house in Mirpur after waiting over an hour. ‘The fare is almost double,’ she said as she had been getting on the auto-rickshaw around 1:15pm.
While visiting areas including Mugda, Kamlapur, Matijheel, Gulistan, Banglamotors, Karwanbazar, Farmgate, Mirpur 10, Technical Mor, airport between 12:00pm and 4:00pm, traffic was found very thin.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police in a press release on Thursday barred movement of transports around Suhrwardi Udyan by closing the roads from Shahbagh to Matshyabhaban and TSC to Doyel Chattar for easy functioning of the PM’s mass reception.
The metropolitan police also set barricades at Banglamotors, Kakrail Charch, Zero point, Golapshah Majan, Chankharpul, Palashi, Nilkhet and Kataban crossing to divert the vehicles for allowing AL leaders and activists, noted personalities, professionals and common people coming to the reception venue, the metropolitan police officials said.
‘I had to wait for about half an hour to get an overcrowded bus at Technical Mor at 3:30pm to go to Banglamotors and it came to standstill at Asad Gate. After waiting about half an hour I got down from the bus, began walking and took a rickshaw. After crossing a small distance on Green Road, it also got stuck in a gridlock and I had to walk the remaining way to reach my destination at 5:45pm,’ said Maruf Ahmed, a resident of Mirpur-1.
Severe traffic jam was also witnessed at different places including Jahangir Gate, Bijoy Sarani, Malibagh, Mouchak, Panthapath and several inner roads, commuters from different areas in the capital said.
Though the reception was scheduled for 3:00pm, thousands of leaders and activists of AL and its front organisations from Dhaka and its adjacent districts began to march towards the venue since midday by buses, trucks and motorcycles.
(Justnews/ys/2320hr)
