Holidaymakers who left the capital for their hometowns yesterday suffered terribly because of severe traffic congestion on highways, which is not uncommon at all ahead of festivals like Eid.
Yesterday’s monsoon rain also added to their ordeals while the Met Office said the rain caused by a depression formed in the Bay would last for another two to three days.
Tailbacks on Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Sylhet highways stemmed from the concurrent outflow of a large number of city dwellers towards their respective destinations in different parts of the country.
Additional Deputy Inspector General of police Khandaker Golam Faruk told the Dhaka Tribune cattle-laden trucks coming to Dhaka from different parts of the country aggravated the already-intolerable gridlock.
Witnesses said passengers bound for the northern districts remained stuck in Gazipur’s Chandra intersection as traffic snarled up for at least 20 kilometres on Dhaka-Tangail highway in the morning.
Our Tangail correspondent reported that traffic movement on the highway from Kaliakair in Gazipur to Mirzapur in Tangail was very slow since early morning as a huge number of cattle-laden trucks were on the way to Dhaka.
Traffic later eased around 11am, said Gorhai highway police Officer-in-Charge Md Humayun Kabir.
He said additional police had been deployed at a number of points on the highway to control the flow of traffic.
Chittagong-bound passengers faced a 10km tailback in Daudkandi and Maynamati, and another 1.5km from Meghna Gumti toll plaza to Bishwa Road due to potholes.
Daudkandi police station Officer-in-Charge Jubayedul Alam described unfit vehicles as one of the key reasons for traffic jam.
Roads and Highways Department Deputy Assistant Engineer Abdul Kaiyum said monsoon rain damaged some parts of the highway. “We have tried our best to repair it as fast as possible.”
Long-haul transports moved at a snail’s pace at Bhulta intersection on Dhaka-Sylhet highway as passengers endured a painfully slow journey, our Narsingdi correspondent reported.
Dhaka-Mymensingh highway was relatively free from heavy gridlock but home-bound people still suffered at a couple of points.
Traffic was heavy in Abdullahpur of Dhaka and Boro Bari in Gazipur, said Gazipur Assistant Superintendent of Police Shakhawat Hossain.
Commenting on traffic chaos on highways, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader admitted that the condition of highways was not so good.
“But people can still make the journey home. Rain affected several highways but engineers are trying their best to sort the problems out,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
“I have been informed that no vehicle is stuck on the road but drivers cannot speed because of the gridlock.”
The minister said the lack of enforcement of traffic rules and awareness should also be blamed for traffic congestion.