Ongoing, back-to-back political agendas by the ruling Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) caused severe traffic congestion in the capital city of Dhaka on Wednesday.
Key roads in the city came to a standstill due to the disruptions.
The greatest sufferers of this chaos were those who had to go to work. Lower-income individuals and daily wage earners are enduring immense hardships to reach their destinations.
Due to severe traffic congestion, one side of many roads were closed and vehicles were stuck for a long time. Moreover, at the end of office hours, working people were left in trouble without public transportation to return home.
BNP's one-point movement march
According to announcements, the BNP and allied political parties initiated their nationwide march for the second consecutive day from Abdullahpur to Jatrabari at 11:20am, reinforcing their demand for the government's ouster and a subsequent election under a caretaker regime, leading to severe traffic congestion on the Airport road.
Dhaka TribuneAt that time, all vehicles were stuck behind the procession, with movement coming to a halt on one side of the road and reduced to a crawl on the other.
The congestion worsened when the march reached Kuril Bishwa Road and moved towards Badda, blocking off one side of the road entirely.
After 1pm, significant traffic jams occurred on the path of the procession from Kuril Bishwa Road, Badda, Rampura Bridge, Abul Hotel, and Khilgaon.
The procession ended at Jatrabari Chowrasta, passing through Basabo, Mugda, and Sayedabad, causing further traffic congestion in these areas before the evening.
Awami League's counterprogram
The ruling Awami League also organized a peace procession on Wednesday from Tejgaon's Satrasta Mor to Mohakhali, leading to severe congestion in that area during the afternoon for the second day in a row.
Ali Asif Shawon/Dhaka TribuneThe Dhaka city (north) unit of the Awami League organized the program to counter the BNP's road march program.
They also brought out processions in cities and districts under Rangpur, Dhaka, Khulna, and Mymensingh divisions.
Citizens endured immense sufferings
Rickshaw puller Mubarak Hossain, en route from Malibagh to Badda, voiced his frustration over the blocked roads due to political processions.
"What will we eat if we cannot drive our rickshaws due to blocked roads all day? These processions only increase distress for the poor," he lamented.
Due to blocked roads, commuters were unable to find transportation. As a result, many were resorting to renting motorcycles to reach their destinations.
One such commuter, Shahjahan, shared his experience: "One side of the Airport road is closed, and cars can't pass through. Therefore, I am trying to navigate my way in bits and pieces."
Traffic authorities seek solutions
Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) Zainul Abedin spoke about their ongoing efforts to alleviate the dire traffic situation.
“Our team is trying its best to manage the situation. However, the various political programs have resulted in roadblocks at several points, leading to stranded vehicles and massive inconvenience for commuters,” he expressed.
Adding to the narrative, DMP Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Md Munibur Rahman Chowdhury suggested a preventive approach to avoid such a situation.
He encouraged political parties to consider scheduling their activities on holidays rather than regular working days so that public inconvenience could be significantly reduced.
