Gopalpur residents protest illegal parking, accidents

Locals in Tangail's Gopalpur upazila yesterday protested the illegal parking of vehicles on the area's busy roads. Several hundred people, including students from different educational institutions, took part in the programmes held in the municipal town.

The agitators blocked the road by burning tyres and later formed a human chain to press the demand.

Speakers in the human chain said vehicles, including passenger buses, are parked on the Gopalpur-Tangail regional road instead of a specific spot, often resulting in accidents.

A motorcycle rider was killed after his bike collided with a pickup van on Sunday. However, illegal parking remains an issue, they said.

Mayor of Gopalpur municipality Rakibul Haque Chhana said leaders of local transport workers and owners associations were repeatedly requested not to illegally park vehicles on the road but to no avail.

Besides, the issue was raised in the upazila law and order meetings on several occasions. Following these meetings, the illegal parking would stop for a day and then begin again on the next, he said.

"On the other hand, there are no bus terminals in the upazila. Accidents due to vehicle parking on the road are constantly causing fatalities," he added.

Rafiqul Islam Mukul, general secretary of Gopalpur Bus Owners Association, said as there is no bus terminal, they park the buses in a small rented space.

"We knocked on many doors, even reached out to the local lawmaker for the construction of a designated bus terminal but to no avail," he said.

This correspondent could not reach local lawmaker Tanvir Hasan to verify this claim despite repeated attempts.