The capital faced an unusual congestion on the city roads, a rush of people at bus and launch terminals and the railway stations yesterday.
People who have been stuck at home due to the opposition alliance’s back-to-back blockade programme that almost paralysed two weeks’ worth of working days, came out from home yesterday. Some were trying to catch up on work, while others were trying to leave the city.
At the exit points of the capital, there were huge gatherings of out-bound commuters. Shopping malls, doctors’ chambers, banks and other utility services in the capital also faced a barrage of customers.
The 131-hour blockade that started from Saturday ended Thursday evening. However, there will be no respite for the people as the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance yesterday called another spell of 72-hour blockade from 6am today.
So the city dwellers had only a day to finish their piled up work and to leave or return to the capital.
“We started for Banani from Rampura after jumma prayers and now at 3:50pm we are yet to reach Gulshan,” said Murad Ahmed Arka, a student of Prime Asia University. He and his classmate were on the way to campus to attend an exam which was postponed last week due to the blockade.
A number of bus and CNG-run auto rickshaw drivers said they had to wait at several signals for a long time.
“I feared there might be a lot of traffic this weekend. But I did not expect it to be this bad,” said a private car driver, who had dropped off his employer at Lab Aid near Science Laboratory had been stuck there on his way back home for an hour.
Exams of some schools and colleges and also recruitment exams of banks and other institutions contributed to the congestion.
At the largest bus terminal of the capital Gabtoli, a large crowd was seen in the morning. All of the bus counters were open and there was a pressure of passengers. A number of bus companies introduced extra trips.
“We came to Dhaka to see a doctor for my daughter last Friday but could not go back. A few days back we bought tickets for a late night bus but later decided not to take the risk,” said Shimul Ahmed Kabir from Khulna. He was waiting with his daughter and wife at a bus counter in the morning.
The pressure of passengers was also there at Mohakhali and Syedabad bus stands.
“It seems that Dhaka will be empty from today. All cabin tickets were booked last night and you see, the rush is like the eid vacations,” said Kamal Ahmed Sarwar, a staff of Patuakhali bound vessel Sattar Khan-1 at the Sadarghat Launch Terminal.
“Bad days are ahead. They will call hartals and blockades one after another. It is better that I go back home and try to do something,’’ said a day labourer of Lebukhali of Jhalokathi who was preparing his bed on the deck of a launch. Five labourers of the same area were with him.
Trains at Kamalapur Rail Station also had large crowd yesterday.
The Railway authorities have suspended night-time train services on four routes under Lalmonirhat railway division of West Zone for an indefinite period since Thursday night, to avoid sabotage on train in the dark hours since several incidents of sabotage took place.
The suspended routes are Lalmonirhat-Burimari of Lalmonirhat, Lalmonirhat-Santahar of Joypurhat, Lalmonirhat-Parbatipur of Dinajpur and Parbatipur-Santahar. The other train services were running on schedule.
