Staff Reporter :
Traffic in the capital partially collapsed due to the rally organised by the Qawmi madrasa teachers and students and traffic restrictions on Sunday.
The rally was organised to hail the passage of a bill making the Dawra-e-Hadith degree equivalent to master’s in Islamic studies and Arabic under the banner of Al-Hiyatul Ulya Lil-Zami’atil Qawmiya Bangladesh, a combine of Qawmi education boards led by Allama Shafi at Suhrawardy Udyan.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the programme titled “Shokrana Mahfil” as the Chief Guest, while Hefajat-e Islam supremo Shah Ahmed Shafi presided over it. Since morning, thousands of Hefajat activists were seen gathering at the venue to participate in the rally to express gratitude to the Prime Minister for giving recognition to top Qawmi degree.
Commuters were seen passing through Shahbagh intersection to Matsya Bhaban, Katabon, Nilkhet and Palashi on foot to reach their destinations as the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) asked all heavy and light vehicles to avoid the Suhrawardy Udyan area and its neighbourhoods yesterday.
Many of them were seen waiting for public transports in Shahbagh, Paltan and Matsya Bhaban area.
However, the traffic diversion has created traffic congestion on the Mirpur Road starting from Kalyanpur to Panthapath intersection.
Outdoor patients going to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University suffered. Several hundred patients were seen leaving without getting treatment during the peak service hours in the hospital. There was a horrendous jam at the entry to the hospital’s emergency department.
“My sister, who is bleeding, was stuck in the gridlock for nearly two hours as the roads leading to the hospital were jammed,” said Arif Hossain, who rushed his sister Sathi Akhtar from Khanpur of Narayanganj.
Ripon, who came to the BSMMU for the treatment of his four-month old child yesterday morning, said he waited for a bus at Shahbagh for over an hour for going to Gauchhia in Narayanganj.
Apart from the public transport, the number of cars in the streets was fewer than that of the usual days.
