Snarl on Dhaka-Ctg highway

A huge 22-km long traffic jam, from Bhatiari to Bara Awlia, has disrupted vehicular movement in Chittagong's Sitakunda Upazila on Dhaka-Chittagong highway for more than 10 hours since Thursday evening. As Thursday was the last working day of the week, there was more traffic on the highway. Vehicular movement got severely disrupted when engine of a truck broke down amid huge traffics in Bhatiari, Chittagong around 7:30pm. Soon the traffic jam spread to Bhatiari, Bara Awlia, Sitakunda municipal area, Kumira, and Mirshwarai. A police officer of highway police on condition of anonymity said, 'We do not have crane to remove heavy vehicles. We requisitioned a private crane from a local shipyard to remove the stranded truck. By that time, a huge tailback was created that continued till Friday morning.' Local residents of Sitakunda said that last week's rain left many potholes in various parts of Dhaka-Chittagong highway. They also slowed down vehicular movement. Besides, some portion of four-lane highway was temporarily closed for development works. This has narrowed the highway and slowed down the pace of vehicles. Highway police Inspector (Comilla) Zillur Rahim said 'This problem could have been avoided if the development work had been finished before the rainy season. Reckless driving of bus drivers is another factor that has caused the jam,' according to bdnews24.com.