Thousands of commuters were caught up in traffic chaos on Wednesday when the city streets became gridlocked in the wake of countrywide 60-hour shutdown.
Private cars contributed most to the never-ending traffic on the city roads, unlike other post-hartal periods.
Surprisingly there was a thin presence of private buses and even of state-owned BRTCs, fearing unpredictable political violence and attacks on vehicles, which added to the woes of commuters.
Office goers, school and college-going students were the worst afflicted after practically a five-day break – two days for weekend and three days for opposition-sponsored shutdown since last Friday.
People, especially city dwellers, poured into the streets to do their pending works but they had to remain stranded at different bus stops in Mirpur, Farmgate, Uttara, Banani, Mahakhali, Khilkhet, Airport Road and Banglamotor area.
Firoza Akhter, a government employee was waiting at a BRTC bus stop in Uttara for 30 minutes. “I have to go to Shahbagh area but yet to find a bus. Why should ordinary people suffer for shutdown?” he questioned.
Like her many others were seen waiting for vehicles for hours to reach their destinations.
A private university student Tasmia Rahman said: “My classes have already started but still I am standing at the bus stop.”
Another passenger Sinthia Sarker said, she had been waiting for abus with her six-year-old child for 40 minutes.
Exasperated with a long wait passengers were seen looking for an alternative option.
Staff of the ticket booths at bus stops said many of the owners took their buses off the roads, fearing arson and bomb attacks by the opposition parties.
Anis, a staff member of Falgun bus service in Rampura, said the shutdown spread panic among the bus owners and few buses were on the city streets.
A ticker seller Mohiudding in Malibagh said, however, traffic jams are usual on the day after a shutdown. “People think there are few buses but in reality it is otherwise.”
Md Rafiqul Islam Talukder, deputy general manager of BRTC, echoed Mohiuddin: “On the days of shutdown we run fewer buses but on all other days we run 450 buses on average in and outside of Dhaka.”
However, staff at a BRTC ticket booth, said the leasees of BRTC buses on Wednesday operated fewer buses as they were scared of attacks by pickets during the shutdown.
While visiting different areas in the capital our correspondents found long tailbacks on the roads in Mirpur, Shyamoli, Kallayanpur, Azimpur, Farmgate, Shahbagh, Science Laboratory cross-section, Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Motijheel, Malibagh, Mouchak, Paltan, Rampura, Badda, Kakoli, Mohakhali and Saatrasta.
Thousands of vehicles, mostly private cars and public buses, were stuck in traffic congestion on different busy roads, intersections, lanes and by-lanes in the city and its surrounding areas.
Samsul Islam, an employee of a private firm said: “I am from Uttara and going to Farmgate; I had to wait for over half an hour to cross Kakoli area.”
Like Samsul, many city commuters narrated expressed their woes caused by traffic congestion, and rued their fates in this city where planning appears to be a misnomer.
