Hundreds of passengers have been stuck for several hours in a 30-kilometre tailback on the Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway since morning on Tuesday.
The rush, a day ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, resulted in a tailback stretching over 30km from Natia of Mirzapur to Chandra of Gazipur since morning with the situation not having changed much in the evening as well.
Our correspondent reports that there has not been a severe change in the traffic congestion on the Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway but the vehicles were moving somewhat faster than it was in the morning as eid draws nearer.
Gorai Highway police Officer-in-Charge JubaidulAlam said: “There is huge traffic congestion in the two lane highway today [Tuesday], a long tailback on the lane towards Dhaka from Natia to Chandra.”
“There are vacated buses and cattle-laden trucks among the Dhaka-bound vehicles,” he added.
He said: “Vehicular movement is quite normal on the other lane connecting to the northern parts of the country.”
Jubaidul said police were paying extra attention to ensure free movement for the passenger buses.
Additionally, vehicles were seen moving slowly in several different points throughout the Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways in Gazipur due to the excessive numbers of vehicles.
Sources said the vehicular movement was quite normal till Sunday evening but the traffic pressure increased after 8pm.
Jubaidul said: “The traffic congestion increased on the highways from Sunday evening as the factories in the area declared holiday at the same time.”
“The traffic congestion is ten times worse on the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge highway than it was a few days ago,” he added.
He said old and unfit vehicles were also plying on the highways because of Eid.
A source from the police said vacation was cancelled for the Gazipur police administration to keep Dhaka-Tagail and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways free of traffic congestion.