Long queues on highways
After days of hartals, the Dhaka-Tangail highway was overwhelmed with vehicles yesterday and people were stuck in a traffic jam that stretched for at least 80km. Photo: Rashed Shumon
After four days of hartal, three major highways in the country were overwhelmed with vehicles yesterday leading to gridlocks that stretched for up to 80km.
There were cases of people being stuck on highways for up to 15 hours in the scorching heat. Even the communications minister and the home minister got stuck.
Traffic flows came to a halt on Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways as none were following traffic rules. Traffic and highway police were hardly seen on location and the few policemen on duty were helpless in tackling the enormous jams.
The worst jam was on Dhaka-Tangail highway. More than 5,000 examinees of primary teachers recruitment exams failed to reach their exams halls in Tangail district alone.
Unable to travel on the previous four back-to-back hartal days, people in their thousands began their journeys on buses yesterday. There were people taking the opportunity of the two-day weekend plus Pahela Baishakh holiday to visit their homes.
Trucks which remained stationary due to hartals began hauling goods yesterday as well. And all this culminated in massive gridlocks.
The onrush of vehicles pushed road communication through Dhaka-Tangail highway, which connects 23 north-western districts to the capital, to the brink of collapse. There was an 80km-long jam between Baipail in Savar and Bangabandhu Bridge in Tangail, reports our Tangail correspondent.
Businessman Emdad Ali said he set off with his family from Mohakhali around 6:00am to go to Kalihati in Tangail to celebrate Pahela Baishakh there. He had only reached Chandra in Gazipur around 11:00am.
A sick person going to a hospital on a truck is stuck in the jam amid the heat. The photos were taken at Korotia of Tangail. Photo: Rashed Shumon
Vehicles were barely moving.
Syeda Mahfuza Begum, district primary education officer in Tangail, said a total of 27,857 examinees were supposed to take part in the primary teachers' appointment examination at 32 centres in the district. Around 5,000 missed the exams while many showed up late.
Many people were seen waiting for buses at Gabtoli and Mohakhali bus terminals in the capital yesterday as the buses they were supposed to board were stuck in the jam on their incoming trips.
An official of SR Travels, a coach service provider, said seven of their buses had left for Dhaka from different districts Thursday night but even at 2:00pm yesterday they had not reached Dhaka.
On Dhaka-Chittagong highway, passengers faced a 30km-long jam stretching from Daudkandi Bridge toll plaza to Madhya. Vehicles were hardly moving there.
Communications Minister Obaidul Quader got stuck in the jam at Barpara in Daudkandi while Home Minister MK Alamgir on his way to Kachua, said highway police in Daudkandi.
On Dhaka-Mymensingh highway the gridlock began yesterday morning and it was not before evening traffic movement became normal.
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