Another rally, another day of pain for city dwellers

Traffic in the capital came to a grinding halt again due to a public event yesterday causing people, especially patients, to suffer.

People celebrated Unesco's recognition of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's historic March 7 Speech through processions and a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday.

The cabinet division on Tuesday asked all government employees to take part in the procession from Dhanmondi Bangabandhu Memorial Museum to Suhrawardy Udyan via Mirpur Road, Elephant Road and Dhaka University campus.

The procession caused nearby streets to become clogged.

Roads on and below the Moghbazar-Malibagh flyover remain gridlocked. Photo: Star

Outdoor patients at the country's largest hospital -- Dhaka Medical College Hospital -- suffered due to an hour-long service disruption from 11:40am. Many doctors had left the hospital to join the rally.

Several hundred patients were seen leaving without getting treatment during the peak service hours at the hospital.

There was a horrendous jam at the entry to the hospital's emergency department.

“My sister, who is bleeding, was stuck in the gridlock for nearly two hours as the roads leading to the hospital were jammed,” said Arif Hossain, who rushed his sister Sathi Akhtar from Khanpur of Narayanganj.      

Sonia Akhtar, who came from Savar, said, “I came a long way for medical care but could not find a doctor.”

After three hours, she somehow managed to see a doctor at the emergency section.

The spill over affected adjoining areas at least until 6:00pm. 

Police made the streets around Suhrawardy Udyan off limits to vehicles since noon and asked the city dwellers to avoid the procession route from Bangabandhu Memorial Museum to the venue. 

Doctors and staffers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), another important public healthcare institution, left the outdoor department to attend the rally as part of the nationwide celebrations of Unesco's recognition of the March 7 Speech.

Passengers clamoured to get on the few buses that were available. Photo: Star

Many patients failed to see doctors there.

Abdur Rob Munshi, an elderly person from Madaripur, had gone to the hospital but could not see a doctor even after waiting for an hour and a half.

Atikur Rahman from Bikrampur went to the hospital with his parent but could not show his father's medical report to the doctor who had seen him before. The doctor was in Suhrawardy Udyan.

After waiting for two hours, he showed the report to another doctor.

The number of patients at the BSMMU outdoor section during the second shift, which starts from 2:30pm, was almost half the usual number. Many could not reach the hospital due to the horrendous traffic.

The colourful rally passing through the Dhanmondi area. Photo: Star

On some roads, especially in Nilkhet, Azimpur, Kalabagan, Dhanmondi, New Market, Kantaban, Hatirpul, Manik Mia Avenue, vehicles were seen standing still for 20 to 30 minutes before they crawled a few metres forward.

“Traffic congestion is a daily affair. But I have never seen such a horrific congestion,” schoolteacher Manik Mondol told this correspondent while sitting on a rickshaw at Hatirpul bazaar.

“Believe it or not, I have been waiting at the Hatirpul intersection for nearly 30 minutes,” he said. 

City dwellers who had opted to walk instead also faced trouble on pavements as desperate motor bikers and rickshaw pullers were seen using those.

The situation worsened after the rally when a huge number of people exited the venue and started walking in the middle of different streets.

The traffic system surrounding Dhaka University virtually collapsed.

It took private firm employee Rafiqul Islam nearly an hour and a half to reach Farmgate from Palashi on his motorbike.

This correspondent met 40-year-old Ekram Hossain around 1:30pm near Science Laboratory on his way to Bakshibazar from Kalyanpur.

“I waited for a bus for more than 20 minutes but did not see one. I started walking as CNG [autorickshaw] drivers wanted Tk 350 for the trip,” he told The Daily Star as he was walking.

Like Ekram, hundreds were seen walking as autorickshaw drivers and rickshaw pullers were charging exorbitant fares in their bid to exploit the situation. 

Earlier this month, city dwellers had to suffer twice when Nagorik Committee and the BNP held separate rallies at the Suhrawardy Udyan.