Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
Thousands of passengers have been suffering unbearable pains everyday due to regular tailback on Dhaka-Tangail highway.
The commuters, mainly businessmen and job seekers, are the main victims as they lost their all schedules for the continuous traffic jam.
“The anguish reached at the highest point during the holidays as around 25,000 vehicles have to pass through the highway which has been dug up at different points for widening under the four-lane project,”
Shafiqul Islam, Superintendent of Highway Police of Gazipur Zone, told The New Nation on Friday evening.
“About 17,000 of vehicles stuck on the highway as the normal number is almost 5,000. Even 26 km tailback was seen on Mirzapur point under Tangail district around 5:00am on Friday. The tailback was decreased in the evening, though the plying of vehicles was not turned normal like other days,” the SP said.
He mentioned that the traffic jam is almost common on the Tangail’s Elenga and Mirzapur Points.
Inspector SM Shahidur Rahman of Tangail’s Traffic Police, said, “People get are being stuck on Dhaka-Tangail highway for the last few months.” Some times on a 50-kilometre stretch of jam was witnessed from Chandra Intersection to Bangbandhu Bridge, he said.
“I along with my family members started from Gabtoli Bus Terminal around 10:00pm on Thursday to go to Nilphamari to take part in a marriage ceremony in the afternoon but reached only Tangail around 1:00pm on Friday,” said Mizanur Rahman, a journalist of a private TV channel in Dhaka.
“Our bus was stuck over the night, at least for five hours, only at Kaliakair. My wife and young daughter suffered for lack of lavatory facility on the road, which was at times unbearable,” he said.
“Vehicles remain stuck for hours almost every day due to the battered road condition and the unplanned four-lane work ongoing,” said Rasel Miah, driver of a Rangpur-bound bus.
Though the Roads and Highways Department did temporary repairing works on several occasions at the cost of crores of taka, the road condition became worse rather than improve, he said.
Antara Shimu wanted to study in social science faculty at Rajshahi University. But by the time she would reach Rajshahi from Dhaka, her admission test would be over. The five-hour journey on the route at usual times took her more than 20 hours due to traffic jam.
She left home in Dhaka at 9:00am on Thursday. The bus that was scheduled to set off for Rajshahi at10:00am, started the journey six hours later for traffic jam.
Prodip Kumar Saha, the driver of Drutagami Paribahan bus, said repairing has created ditches on the both sides of the highway, disrupting normal vehicular movement.
The two-hour journey to Dhaka from Tangail is now taking eight to 10 hours, he said. AKM Mizanul Haque, Officer-in-Charge of Mirzapur Police Station, said vehicles moved very slowly due to potholes on the road. Besides, the road had been dug up at different points for widening under the four-lane project, forcing vehicles to move slowly. The slow movement of vehicles worsened the situation, the OC said.
At some places, vehicles broke down right in the middle of the road and drivers fell asleep, stretching the tailbacks, he added.
Gorai Highway Police Station sub-inspector Golam Kibria said, “The vehicles are not moving to Tangail while the vehicles are going towards Dhaka. Drivers on the highway are not following the rules of the vehicles. If the drivers get a little chance they are asleep. Traffic is obstructed at this.
Thousands of passengers have been suffering unbearable pains everyday due to regular tailback on Dhaka-Tangail highway.
The commuters, mainly businessmen and job seekers, are the main victims as they lost their all schedules for the continuous traffic jam.
“The anguish reached at the highest point during the holidays as around 25,000 vehicles have to pass through the highway which has been dug up at different points for widening under the four-lane project,”
Shafiqul Islam, Superintendent of Highway Police of Gazipur Zone, told The New Nation on Friday evening.
“About 17,000 of vehicles stuck on the highway as the normal number is almost 5,000. Even 26 km tailback was seen on Mirzapur point under Tangail district around 5:00am on Friday. The tailback was decreased in the evening, though the plying of vehicles was not turned normal like other days,” the SP said.
He mentioned that the traffic jam is almost common on the Tangail’s Elenga and Mirzapur Points.
Inspector SM Shahidur Rahman of Tangail’s Traffic Police, said, “People get are being stuck on Dhaka-Tangail highway for the last few months.” Some times on a 50-kilometre stretch of jam was witnessed from Chandra Intersection to Bangbandhu Bridge, he said.
“I along with my family members started from Gabtoli Bus Terminal around 10:00pm on Thursday to go to Nilphamari to take part in a marriage ceremony in the afternoon but reached only Tangail around 1:00pm on Friday,” said Mizanur Rahman, a journalist of a private TV channel in Dhaka.
“Our bus was stuck over the night, at least for five hours, only at Kaliakair. My wife and young daughter suffered for lack of lavatory facility on the road, which was at times unbearable,” he said.
“Vehicles remain stuck for hours almost every day due to the battered road condition and the unplanned four-lane work ongoing,” said Rasel Miah, driver of a Rangpur-bound bus.
Though the Roads and Highways Department did temporary repairing works on several occasions at the cost of crores of taka, the road condition became worse rather than improve, he said.
Antara Shimu wanted to study in social science faculty at Rajshahi University. But by the time she would reach Rajshahi from Dhaka, her admission test would be over. The five-hour journey on the route at usual times took her more than 20 hours due to traffic jam.
She left home in Dhaka at 9:00am on Thursday. The bus that was scheduled to set off for Rajshahi at10:00am, started the journey six hours later for traffic jam.
Prodip Kumar Saha, the driver of Drutagami Paribahan bus, said repairing has created ditches on the both sides of the highway, disrupting normal vehicular movement.
The two-hour journey to Dhaka from Tangail is now taking eight to 10 hours, he said. AKM Mizanul Haque, Officer-in-Charge of Mirzapur Police Station, said vehicles moved very slowly due to potholes on the road. Besides, the road had been dug up at different points for widening under the four-lane project, forcing vehicles to move slowly. The slow movement of vehicles worsened the situation, the OC said.
At some places, vehicles broke down right in the middle of the road and drivers fell asleep, stretching the tailbacks, he added.
Gorai Highway Police Station sub-inspector Golam Kibria said, “The vehicles are not moving to Tangail while the vehicles are going towards Dhaka. Drivers on the highway are not following the rules of the vehicles. If the drivers get a little chance they are asleep. Traffic is obstructed at this.
