Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
The city dwellers’ sufferings reached it peak because of the traffic congestions on maximum on roads following a restriction imposed on plying of transports over 25 points ahead of the Ulema conference marking the 42nd founding anniversary of Islamic Foundation Bangladesh on Thursday.
The conference was organized at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital disobeying the pre-announced proposal of the government to hold any rally and procession in the city only on the weekly holiday to avoid the traffic jam.
Earlier, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that the government would not allow any rally or procession of any organisation on working days.
The common people, including commuters, office-goers and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinees, were found struggling to move their destinations through the roads of Shahbagh, Science Laboratory, Nilkhet, Palasshey, Doel Chattar and Matsya Bhaban that created unbearable panic among victims.
Patients, women and children, also fell into trouble as no transports, including ambulances and rickshaws, were found in front of Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka Medical College and Hospital and BIRDEM Hospital.
Throughout the morning, traffic was significantly thinner. A few public transports were seen plying the streets in Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh and Matsya Bhaban areas. Private cars were handful in numbers.
Roads near Palasey, Chandkharpul, Rupashi Bangla Hotel, Katabon and Bangla Motor areas were turned into a traffic nightmare since police imposed traffic controls as part of the heightened security measures for the Islamic Foundation Conference.
A HSC examinee from Holy Cross College, Lotus Tripura, said that she could not reach the examination hall due to the absence of transports.
Afia Sultana Moni, a job-seeker hailing from Rangpur, told The New Nation on Thursday, “A rally on a working day causes huge suffering to commuters.
Following the strict traffic control measures, roads in other areas, including Farmgate, Mohakhali, Gulshan, remain almost deserted.
Over 2,500 hired transports from the outside of Dhaka entered the rally area with more than 200,000 people that added the sufferings of the city dwellers during the working day, police said.
