Traffic woes mount for political progs in city

A severe traffic jam in various parts of Dhaka due to rallies by the ruling Awami League and BNP and their affiliated organisations caused suffering to people on Friday.
Key roads in areas including Paltan, Kakrail and Shahbag were blocked, leading to traffic diversions onto alternate routes. Besides, there was a shortage of public transportation, according to commuters.
Leaders and activists of the political camps began arriving at their respective rally venues in the morning.
The surrounding areas of these venues were congested with vehicles parked haphazardly, disregarding traffic regulations, said commuters.
The Bangladesh Chhatra League held a rally at the historic Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital at 3:00 pm in memory of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) organised various programmes in the capital, including discussion meetings and colourful rallies, to mark their founding anniversary.
Tajul Islam, who was travelling from Rampura to Paltan, was walking along the Bijoynagar intersection due to severe traffic congestion.
"I started from Rampura by a public bus, but I had to leave the bus behind at Shantinagar as we were stuck there for more than half an hour," he recounted.
He added that if it had been a working day, the suffering would have been even worse.
According to Tajul, walking freely was also challenging as many pedestrians were forced to take the footpaths to reach their destinations.
Many were found stuck in traffic as they were out with the plan to take their children and family members to parks and recreational spots - making use of the weekend.
Mahbubul Islam Rony, a resident of Hatirpool, had initially planned to take his two daughters to Ramna Park in the afternoon but decided to return home after reaching Shahbag.
"I couldn't have imagined the situation here. It wouldn't be wise to go any further as the area is occupied by political activists," he said.
The situation worsened for commoners who needed to reach the bus or launch terminals with their luggage.
Small entrepreneur Zahirul Alam was headed to the Sadarghat terminal to board a launch to travel to his hometown Barishal. He had been walking from Kakrail to the Sadarghat area since there was no sign of traffic congestion easing as of 5:00 pm.
"I had to struggle to board the bus in Mirpur, as it had to take different routes due to the roadblock in Shahbag," he said, adding that the traffic remained at a standstill at the Kakrail intersection for a long time.
He said walking was the only reliable mode of transportation to reach Sadarghat on time.
The congestion persisted till the report was filed at around 8:00 pm.

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