Acute traffic congestion on many key roads across the capital marked the first day of the month-long traffic campaign on Wednesday, causing immense sufferings to the commuters.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) launched the campaign to reduce violation of traffic rules, bring discipline on the city streets and remove unfit, unregistered and risky vehicles from the city.
However, fearing possible actions by police, the number of vehicles, especially human-haulers or leguna and unfit minibuses, was rather low on the city streets.
Subsequently, alternative transports, like rickshaws, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and app-based ride-sharing services, took advantage of the situation by charging extra fares from the passengers.
City dwellers, who commute through human-haulers, suffered most due to the scarcity of such vehicles on the streets, following DMP's latest prohibition.
Many of the passengers blamed the traffic department for banning human-haulers without substituting those with alternative public transports.
Visiting Farmgate, New Market and Gulistan areas, this correspondent found many people waiting for human-haulers, as one or two such vehicles were coming after a while to take passengers.
Talking to the FE, Alauddin, a human-hauler driver at Farmgate intersection, said: "Majority of the drivers are not driving their vehicles on Wednesday, as they do not have route permits and driving licences."
Tahmina Aktar, a student preparing for university admission, said she has been waiting at Indira Road for more than an hour to go to her home at Agargaon.
Rashedul Islam, a commuter waiting at Dainik Bangla intersection, said: "I usually come to Motijheel from Khilgaon by leguna in exchange of Tk 10. But today it costs me Tk 70 to come here by rickshaw."
DMP Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia, at a media briefing on Tuesday, said, "We have started the month-long traffic campaign for bringing discipline and ensuring better management in Dhaka traffic system."
He said it has been decided to remove human-haulers from the city streets, as they have no permit to run in the DMP areas.
Their route permits were given to operate outside Dhaka, and they will be allowed to operate outside Dhaka, he added.
DMP introduced an experimental 'model traffic system' from the city's Jahangir Gate to Gulistan Zero Point. In this new system, vehicles are expected to run according to automatic traffic signals.
Traffic department also designated 121 bus-stops across the city for disciplined loading and unloading of passengers, which will come into effect within the next one week.
Police also set up 40 checkpoints on city streets in the DMP areas on the day to scrutinise documents of vehicles, and ensure proper use of foot-over bridges and sidewalks by pedestrians.
However, due to the checkpoints, vehicular movements slowed down in different parts of the capital, causing traffic congestion, especially in Badda, Rampura, Shatrasta, Karwan Bazar, Shahbag, Science Lab, and Mirpur Road etc.
In the meantime, the DMP commissioner requested the refuelling stations in the city not to provide any fuel to the motorcyclists, who do not have helmets with them.
"None of the petrol pumps will supply fuel to those riders. The move is in progress," he said.
Md Kalam, a worker of Shahjahan Enterprises Limited - a refuelling station near Paribag foot-overbridge, said most of the bikers are now wearing helmet following the recent road safety movement.
"We refused only a few motorcyclists to provide fuel on the day," he told the FE.
Traffic department also announced to remove rickshaws, not registered in Dhaka, from the city streets.
As part of the campaign, around 322 rover scouts have also joined with the traffic department personnel to make people aware about traffic rules as well as to stop jaywalking by the city dwellers.
During the 10-day traffic week last month, policemen filed 88,293 cases against the traffic rules violators and realised a total of Tk 56.72 million as fines.
The law-enforcers intensified drives against unfit vehicles and traffic rule violators after a protest of students following the death of two college students in the city's Kurmitola area.
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