City tailbacks compound woes of passengers

Long tailbacks in the capital city on Tuesday caused immense sufferings to the commuters as they either remained stuck for a long time or crossed long distances on foot defying the scorching heat.
Areas like Shantinagar, Kakrail, Bijoynagar, Paltan and Fakirapool witnessed severe traffic jams as Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) organised a rally at Nayapaltan to observe the International Day of Democracy.
Leaders, activists and supporters of the political party from Dhaka and its adjoining districts joined the rally. The vehicles they used moving towards the capital raised the volume of traffic. The rally also forced closure of some key intersections surrounding the meeting venue.
People from different walks of lives were seen stuck at different points as they were travelling by public buses, private cars and rickshaws.
Though the rally took place at Nayapaltan forcing closure of adjacent roads as well as Kakrail and Fakirapool intersections, its impact was left on other parts of the city.
During visits around the rally venue, many bus passengers were found in a long wait amid the sweltering heat while many others got off the buses started walking towards their destinations even after paying the fares.
"It took me almost an hour to come to Kakrail intersection from Gulistan, and now the bus is stuck at this point for around 20 minutes," said private service holder Hamim Ahmed.
He said he was thinking of leaving the bus to walk to his destination near Malibag Chowdhury Para.
"I am in a dilemma now as it will be very difficult to walk in the sultry weather," he said.
The International Day for Democracy is globally observed on September 15. BNP pushed the date for its programme back to Tuesday from Sunday due to unfavourable weather conditions.

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