TRAFFIC jam is a common scenario almost everyday in the capital city Dhaka. Usually, it intensifies every year during the Ramzan. This year it is no exception. But sufferings of commuters have been increased manifold this year because of constructing metro rail projects and unplanned digging in different areas under various development projects.
The New Nation in a report on Tuesday said traffic congestion becomes acute, especially in the afternoon, as home-goers come out of offices around 3:00 pm following changed timetable fixed for Ramzan. Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity in a survey also claimed that around 95% of passengers using public transport in Dhaka have to suffer in the chaos due to a change in office schedules. They mostly suffer between 3pm and 6:30pm.
At that time, some city roads, including Begum Rokeya Sarani, witness severe traffic congestion where a large number of vehicles have to pass very slowly as the metro rail project work is underway. Apart from it, some other city parts, including Gabtoli to Asad Gate, Dhanmondi to Nilkhet, Banani to Mohakhali to Tejgaon, Rampura Road and Bishwa Road become so congested that vehicles stand there touching bumper to bumper for hours. Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Md Masudur Rahman said they have urged the higher authorities not to cut any more new roads in the city during Ramzan. Besides, DMP Joint Commissioner (Traffic South) Mofiz Ahmed said, “During Ramzan, we deploy more forces to control but some time we can’t control because of enormous pressure of vehicles just ahead of the Iftar time.”
What we see that, a chaotic situation has been prevailing in the city’s road transport system resulting in sufferings of millions of people. The roads and streets which witness huge gridlocks become comparatively ease after Iftar. But Eid is coming nearer. Now people will start going on a shopping spree and for that reason even after evening, the city dwellers will have to face huge traffic jams. It seems the DMP traffic department still not serious about their duty to maintain the traffic in the crucial hours. We are surprised why they didn’t take a long-term sustainable plan though DMP has been facing traffic jam in Ramzan since decades?
