City commuters suffer for lack of transport
City dwellers suffered badly yesterday for shortage of public transport and traffic restrictions imposed on some major streets due to an Awami League rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan.
A large number of buses and minibuses were reserved for the rally-goers, leading to the transport crisis across the city.
Many of the sufferers, including commuters, school-goers and patients, waited for vehicles for hours while the others walked to their destination.
The streets near the rally venue were completely choked with processions and vehicles carrying AL supporters, leading to traffic gridlock in other parts of the city.
The party organised the rally to mark the Homecoming Day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
As per its previous announcement, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police diverted and restricted traffic movement on different roads of the capital, particularly around the Suhrawardy Udyan.
Many city dwellers did not come out, fearing a traffic nightmare yesterday.
Apart from the public transport, the number of cars in the streets was fewer than that of the usual days.
Asked about the transport crisis, the operators said many of their vehicles were reserved for the rally participants.
Around 6,000 buses ply the city streets every day, according to the Dhaka Road Transport Owners' Association.
Asked, its leaders could not tell the exact number of buses which were reserved for the AL men.
Commuters' suffering in this city is nothing new. They suffer almost every time there is a major political programme at any part of the city.
On January 4, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader expressed regret about public sufferings caused due to a Chhatra League rally.
However, the incident has repeated again.
Yesterday, hundreds of people were seen waiting for buses in Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Bangla Motor and Kataban areas.
At Bangla Motor, Mohammad Milon, who was looking for a ride to Sadarghat Launch Terminal, said, “I have been waiting for a bus for nearly an hour. Though a few of the buses came, I could not board them as I am carrying a lot of bags.”
Many of yesterday's sufferers expressed their frustration in the social media.
Shafayat Ullah, a lawyer who also teaches law at a college, in his Facebook status wrote that he was stuck on the Khilgaon flyover while heading for his home in Gulshan from the High Court area.
“Finding the streets towards Moghbazar blocked, I took the Khilgaon flyover to reach Hatirjheel. Now I'm stuck on the Khilgaon flyover,” he wrote, suggesting that the government should consider “declaring public holidays on important days like yesterday to ease public agony”.
Syed Mostafa Tutul, a businessman who lives in Banani, told The Daily Star that he cancelled his meeting at an office in Motijheel area in fear of traffic gridlock.
Traffic was a nightmare for many people who were taking their relatives to hospitals by ambulances and other vehicles.
Asma and Shohag, a couple, while taking their newborn baby to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw remained stuck on the Jatrabari flyover for over an hour.
“My baby has breathing problem. I am really worried about my baby's health,” she told this correspondent on the flyover.
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