No let-up in highway tailback

 

Dhaka-Tangail highway witnesses a 50-kilometre-long tailback due to excessive rush of vehicles ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. The photo was taken from Ashekpur bypass in Tangail Sadar upazila on Wednesday.

There is no let-up in the sufferings of the eid holidaymakers as huge tailbacks were reported from different highways of the country since Wednesday morning.
A 50 kilometers gridlock stretching from Chandra of Gazipur to Elenga of Tangail was reported on Dhaka-Tangail highway while a 20 km tailback stretching from Daudkandi to Gomti-Meghna Bridge was reported on Dhaka-Chittagong highway.
Meanwhile, several hundreds of vehicles got stranded on 18 km areas stretching from Doulatpur of Doudkandi upazila to Chandin area of Comilla on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.
Another 10 km gridlock was also reported on the same highway from Kanchpur to Sonargaon area.
In the meantime, nearly eight hundred vehicles were stranded on Dhaka-Mawa highway as the two alternative terminals set to ferry vehicles could not work properly due to infrastructure error.
On the other hand, a 3.5-km jam was created on Paturia side while 2.5-km on Daulatdia side till Wednesday noon.
DHAKA-TANGAIL HIGHWAY
Vehicular movements on the Dhaka-Tangail highway almost came to a halt on Wednesday causing immense sufferings to the homebound people ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.
Heavy pressure of vehicles on the narrow highways is the main reason behind the congestions, reports our Tangail correspondent quoting Hayatul Islam, assistant superintendent of police of Tangail.
The ASP also blamed the truckers and the drivers of other vehicles for the nagging gridlock as they usually did not comply with the traffic rules.
The situation has worsened by the presence of a level crossing at Dherua in Mirzapur and 22 speed breakers stretching on 45-km from Kaliakair to Elenga in Tangail on the highway, he said.
The ASP told this correspondent that it was not possible for highway and local police alone to control the traffic. People will also have to cooperate with us, he said.
Contacted, Sanowar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Gorai Highway Police, said the situation is better today as the vehicles are moving slowly.
DHAKA-CHITTAGONG HIGHWAY
The homebound people got stuck on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway due to an 18-kilometre jam stretching from Daulatpur of Daudkandi upazila to Chandina of Comilla and a 20-km jam from Daudkandi to Gomti-Meghna Bridge, reports a correspondent from Daudkandi.
The holidaymakers also witnessed another 10-km tailback on the highway from Kanchpur in Narayanganj to Sonargaon.
Mehedi Hassan, sergeant of Daudkandi highway police, said the jam was created following heavy pressure of vehicles due to the eid and for not maintaining traffic rules by the drivers.
Arafat Hossain, accountant of Daudkandi toll plaza, said slow movement of vehicles was also responsible for the jam on Gomti-Meghna Bridge and its adjacent areas.
DHAKA-MAWA HIGHWAY
Around 800 vehicles were seen waiting on the both sides of Mawa till 11:00am on Wednesday as the two new alternative terminals have failed to take the pressure of huge vehicles.
The loading and unloading of vehicles from ferry in the terminals also lingered the gridlock, reports our Munshiganj correspondent.
A ferry usually needs at least two hours for loading and unloading vehicles.
Moreover, the terminal at Hrishibari failed to provide service properly.
Visiting the spot our correspondent reports that only small vehicles were allowed to use the terminal as its approach road is too narrow to permit the heavy vehicles.
It is mentionable here that of the total vehicles, 90 percent are heavy.
In this situation, Sirajul Haque, manager at Mawa side of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC), said they were trying to prepare another new terminal, which may open for public on Friday.
BIWTC has also declared a ban on ferrying trucks for a week since Wednesday. Trucks carrying perishable goods and sacrificial cattle will stay out of the decision.
Sirajul said there is no ferry crisis at Mawa terminal as all the 15 ferries are operating at present. Rather, acute terminal crisis is prevailing at the Mawa side.
It needs four more terminals to take the full load of vehicles, he added.
BIWTC is struggling hard to tackle the heavy pressure of vehicle after it on Monday declared erosion-hit ferry terminals 2 and 3 abandoned while the Padma devoured the terminal-1.
PATURIA-DAULATDIA SITUATION
A 3.5-km jam was created on Paturia side while 2.5-km on Daulatdia side Wednesday noon, reports our Kushtia correspondent.
Ashrafullah Khan, manager of Paturia side of BIWTC, said the route was completely jam-free in the morning and the congestion was created around noon with the increasing flow of vehicles.
BIWTC has imposed a ban on ferrying trucks through Paturia-Daulatdia route for three days from today to ease sufferings of the people.
The trucks carrying sacrificial cattle, raw materials and emergency products however will remain out of the purview, he said.
A total of nine Ro-Ro and five K-type ferries are transporting vehicles on the route at present.