Holidaymakers heading towards the southern and northern districts faced huge tailbacks on highways and ferry ghats yesterday.
The traffic gridlock worsened since Thursday late night due to extra pressure of vehicles, accident and movement of unfit vehicles, causing unspeakable sufferings to passengers, especially children and elderly people, report our correspondents.
Home-goers faced a long tailback on Dhaka-Tangail highway stretching from Chandra in Gazipur to Bangabandhu Bridge. Besides, hundreds of vehicles stuck in traffic jam were waiting for ferries at Mawa and Paturia, the gateways to the southern districts.
A head-on collision between a truck and a bus caused tailback on the highway in Gharinda area of Tangail Sadar, said Saleh Mohammad Tanvir, superintendent of police in Tangail.
The accident took place around 5:30am, creating a long tailback stretching from Chandra in Gazipur to the eastern side of Bangabandhu Bridge and causing sufferings to passengers, he said. Several thousand vehicles were seen waiting in queue to reach the destinations ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
The tailback eased slightly around 3:45pm despite heavy traffic on the highway, said Zubaidul Alam, officer-in-charge of Gorai highway police station.
Due to heavy pressure of vehicles, Mawa ferry ghat, the gateway to 21 southern districts, witnessed jam. There was a two-kilometre tailback from Mawa to Sreenagar around 9am. At Paturia ferry ghat, there was an eight-kilometre jam at night. However, the situation became normal in the morning.
Highway police officials said though Durga Puja and Eid-ul-Azha vacation started from yesterday, holidaymakers began leaving the city Thursday night. A huge number of vehicles on the highways created the gridlock.
Tangail
Our correspondent reports that a 30-kilometre tailback was created on Dhaka-Tangail highway from Jamurki in Mirzapur upazila to Chandra in Gazipur. Till 4pm yesterday, vehicles were moving slowly in the area.
Police and locals said vehicles were stuck at Chandra intersection, creating 30-kilometre tailback in three directions. The bypass road in Kaliakoir area also saw traffic jam. On Thursday night, a truck went out of order in Mirzapur area which stopped vehicular movement on a lane. Police removed the truck in the morning, but the tailback did not come to an end. The jam stretched 10 kilometres each from Chandra crossing towards Mirzapur, Chandra and Nabinagar roads.
Four members of a family who were travelling to Gaibandha from Narsingdi said they got stuck in traffic jam at Chandra early yesterday and reached Mirzapur after 9m. It took them around five hours to go the 20-minute distance.
Gazipur
Officer-in-Charge of Kaliakoir police station Omar Farukh said the tailback was created from Chandra to Mirzapur.
“Besides, Dhaka-bound cattle-laden trucks and some city buses now plying the highway are leading to the gridlock,” he said, adding that some unfit city buses were going out of order and creating traffic jam.
Gazipur Superintendent of Police Ranjit Kumar Roy said the tailback in Tangail had put impact there. A 25-kilometre tailback was seen in Konabari, Safipur, Chandra to Gorai and Kaliakoir-Nabinagar.
A Naogaon-bound bus passenger Syed Miskat said, “We have left Dhaka in the morning. Already six hours have passed, but we still remain here.”
Sanwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Mawna highway police station, said traffic on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway suddenly increased while the road construction work in Gazipur compelled the vehicles to move slowly.
“We have deployed 42 police teams and set up 14 IP cameras and three overview towers. A total of 800 policemen are working round the clock, but the situation is not much under control,” said Md Shakhawat Hossain, assistant police superintendent of Gazipur traffic division.
Feni
Our correspondent reports that a 12-kilometre tailback was created on Dhaka-Chittagong highway from Lalpol to Mohammad Ali area. The gridlock prevailed till 1:30pm since the morning. In the afternoon, vehicles started moving slowly.
Saleh Ahmed Pathan, in charge of Mohipal highway police outpost, said they were trying hard to ease the traffic jam since the morning.
Manikganj
Extra vehicles and huge number of intercity unfit vehicles had created a gridlock at some points on Dhaka-Aricha highway.
There was a tailback from Savar to Manikganj. Vehicles could not gain usual speed from Dhamrai to Paturia ferry ghat.
Meanwhile, a total of 18 ferries remained operative at Paturia ferry ghat. The situation there was okay in the afternoon. “But we fear that the queue towards the ferry ghat might be long when night coaches would start journey from Gabtoli bus terminal,” said Bidhan Tripura, police head of Manikganj district.
Mawa
Our Munshiganj correspondent reports that the number of vehicles reached Mawa ferry ghat was several times higher than the ferry’s capacity. As a result, the tailback stretched on about two kilometres at Mawa ferry terminal that connects 21 southern districts through the waterway.
Some 300 buses, cars and other vehicles were standing in queue at Mawa terminal in the morning.
“All the 17 ferries are in operation, but the load is overwhelming,” said Sirajul Haque, manager of Mawa Terminal Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation.
Munshiganj SP Biplab Bijoy Talukdar said they took specific measures to ensure smooth journey of home-goers.
“Buses and cars were being transported on priority basis. More than 400 policemen, both in uniform and plain-clothes, were deployed to ensure the security of people and prevent extortion.”
Many passengers, finding no other way after reaching the ferry ghat, were crossing the river by speedboats and then getting into other vehicles from Kewrakandi. The launches were also seen carrying extra passengers.
Passengers alleged that cashing in on the situation, speedboats, buses and microbuses at Kewrakandi were taking extra fare from them.