BCL brings Dhaka city to a halt on founding anniversary

The city witnessed dense traffic congestion from the morning, causing untold suffering for commuters,  after BCL men took to the streets in greater number to mark the day. The rally, in conjunction with the road diversion for dumping works at the fire ravaged Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Market in Gulshan, meant that traffic in parts of the capital was virtually paralysed. Thousands of people, including office-goers, businessmen, students and hospital patients, remained stuck on the roads for hours. Lacking an alternative, many abandoned their vehicles and started walking. The suffering continued till the afternoon. The congestion started in the morning, when BCL leaders and activists from different parts of the city started for the Dhaka University (DU) area, on mini trucks and pick-up vans, to attend the celebration. Things took a turn for the worse when a huge BCL rally left the DU Compound around noon, and marched through Shahbagh, Matsya Bhaban, and the Jatiya Press Club to the Chhatra League's central office at Bangabandhu Avenue. Due to the long procession, traffic came to a standstill on Mirpur Road, Shahbagh-Farmgate-Mohakhali-Tejgaon, Paltan-Gulistan-Motijheel, Moghbazar-Malibagh and adjacent roads. Md Abdul Motalib, a restaurant worker in the Tejgaon area said: “It took me almost three hours to reach my workplace from Gulistan. I left my bus at Shahbagh and began walking, as traffic was completely at a standstill.” People in Dhaka Medical College, Shahbagh, Bangladesh Secretariat, Gulistan, Dhaka University and the adjoining areas were the worst sufferers. All roads in those areas were packed with vehicles, while most of the busy thoroughfares in Banani, Motijhel, Dainik Bangla, Jatiya Press Club and Elephant Road were also bottlenecked. Asking for anonymity, a private service holder told the Dhaka Tribune: “Thousands of people are suffering, not to mention the waste of time and money on the Chhatra League celebration itself. They should avoid causing such public suffering and act in a constructive way, so that we can put our faith in them to lead the country in future.” When contacted, DMP Joint Commissioner (Traffic, North) Abdur Razzak told the Dhaka Tribune: “The Traffic department has taken special initiatives in order to keep traffic system normal and reduce public suffering. The vehicular movement on streets were normal due to these initiatives. “While there was congestion in a few areas, it did not create major problems as we removed them in time. The vehicular movement in the city is normal now.”