Scorching heat and massive tailback caused immense sufferings to the city dwellers as two processions brought vehicles to a halt at two crucial streets of Dhaka.
As observed by this correspondent, BNP activists rallied at the city’s Naya Paltan protesting the death of Bhola district Chhatra Dal President Noor-e-Alam in a gunfight with law enforcers. No vehicles could ply in that area for two hours.
In a separate incident, students launched a procession demanding arrest of the perpetrators of an attack on their rally voicing for road safety.
The programs, coupled with the extra traffic pressure on the last working day of the week, led to an endless gridlock since the morning, spanning from Mirpur 10 to Farmgate, from Uttara to Khilkhet, from Banani to Bangla Motor. In the other direction, vehicles remained stranded on the road from Jahangir Gate to Banani.
Talking to this correspondent, Afaz Uddin, a passenger of Shikor Pribahan at Bijoy Sarani intersection, said, “I boarded the bus from Mirpur 10, heading towards Dhaka Medical where my sister is admitted. I am carrying food for her, but I don’t know when I will reach.”
Another passenger going from Farmgate to Segunbagicha said that he could not reach his destination even in three hours. A considerable number of people left their cars and srarted walking as they were in a time crunch.
Two processions launched on the same day, each without any permission, left the city in a dire state, said a source at Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Kuddus Mia, a traffic police personnel positioned at Shahbagh said, “This is one of vital parts of the city and there is a hard-to-manage traffic jam at this point since morning. We are trying our best, though! Hopefully, the situation will be better before the evening.”
