People given Friday shock

Thousands of people suffered badly on Dhaka streets yesterday, as leaders and workers of Awami League and its front organisations blocked various roads to welcome Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her return home after attending the 71st UN General Assembly.

The ruling party and its allies in the 14-party combine, and AL affiliated bodies arranged the reception, as the PM received the "Planet 50-50 Champion" and "Agent of Change Award" for her contributions to women empowerment.

The reception coincided with the admission tests at Dhaka University and Jagannath University and the 37th BCS preliminary examination.

As party men poured in on the streets in their thousands and headed for the airport from different parts of the city, Dhaka came to a virtual standstill.

Thousands of people remained stranded for several hours since around 3:00pm as vehicular movement came to a complete halt, causing immense public suffering.

Adding to their misery, parts of several roads, including the busy Agargaon-Khamarbari road, one side of Manik Mia Avenue and Bijoy Sarani to Rangs Bhaban intersection was made off-limit to traffic.

Hundreds of men, women and children were seen walking in the scorching sun towards their destinations, after remaining stuck for hours. Patients and those too frail to walk had to count extra money in waiting charges.

Several correspondents of The Daily Star who were present at different key points witnessed such sufferings first-hand.

Commuters were frustrated that they had to endure such an ordeal and go through such a mess on the weekend.

Many asked for the prime minister's phone number so they could directly talk to her, seeking her intervention so they don't have to suffer like this in future.

The tailback on Airport Road started immediately after Juma prayers when a huge number of AL men took to the streets with placards, festoons, banners and national and party flags to greet the PM, who landed at the airport at 6:45pm and reached the Gono Bhaban around 7:30pm.

They assembled in long queue by both sides of the road stretching from the PM's official residence Gono Bhaban to airport intersection to welcome their party chief. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the busiest Airport Road from afternoon till around 9:00pm.

Farmgate, Mohakhali, Banani, Tejgaon, Gulshan, Kuril Biswa Road and Uttara are among those areas that witnessed severe traffic congestion.

In most cases, traffic movement was at the mercy of the AL men, as traffic police looked on helplessly.

Contacted, Additional Commissioner (Traffic) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Mosleh Uddin Ahmed said it was only natural that there would be some public suffering during movements of VVIPs.

“I can say that the presence of Awami League leaders and workers on the streets did not contribute to the suffering that much. There was a huge pressure of vehicles in the streets today [yesterday] as it was weekend. As a result, vehicular movement was slow sometimes,” he claimed, adding that they tried to keep AL men off street.

About making parts of some roads off-limit to traffic, he claimed there was no such thing except some “optional diversion”.

All traffic officials were in the street to manage vehicular movements, and they helped keep vehicles moving despite huge presence of AL leaders and workers.

Senior AL leaders refused to talk to The Daily Star about the public sufferings.

Aleya Akter, a service holder who started for her house at Hemayetpur in Savar from her relative's house at the city's Kathalbagan, could not get on a bus in two hours since 3:30pm. She then started walking towards Mohakhali to get a transport.

“I am suffering on the street. But what can I do? I have to go home,” she said.

Like her, many people narrated how they suffered in the gridlock. They questioned whether the AL could accord the reception at the Gono Bhaban or if the prime minister could use an alternative route to reach home.

Fahmida Akter, who spent three hours to reach Dhaka Orthopedic Hospital from the airport by a CNG-run three-wheeler, said, “There should be a limit of harassment on the streets.” 

Manuel Richil was standing at Airport intersection with his niece on his lap. He and his sisters came from Haluaghat in Mymensingh to go to Natunbazar. They had to get down at the airport intersection as traffic got stuck there. 

“I don't know what to do now,” said Richil, after waiting there anxiously for more than an hour.