Dhaka – Dhaka city residents on Thursday experienced huge sufferings due to the closure of roads enforced for congregation of Ulema, Imams and Islamists in the city’s Suhrawardi Udyan. The Islamic Foundation organised the huge congregation marking its 42nd founding anniversary in the city.
Due to the Ulema Mashayek Conference, there was a standing instruction on Manik Mia Avenue, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh and Matsya Bhaban areas as some key thoroughfares were made off limits for city dwellers.
As a result traffic was significantly thinner on these roads since morning. A few public transports were seen plying on the designated streets and private cars were few in number forcing the city residents to walking to their respective destinations.
But on the occasion of the grand rally that Islamic Foundation has ever organised, the commuters who were on the road faced almost zero traffic jam at most at the above the points.
The city dwellers experienced a lot of sufferings due to lack of public transports on these thoroughfares. In the rest of the city people suffered a huge traffic jams due to DMP restriction on key roads.
Hemayetul Islam was found standing under the footoverbridge at Farmgate in the capital. “I wanted to go to Fakirapul from my home in Nakhalpara. On a usual day, I take bus but today I didn’t find any. I came here by rickshaw to take a bus from here. But there is no bus available.”
Talking to this correspondent, Rejaul Karim, who attended the conference said, “There is no traffic on Shahbagh and Matsya Bhaban area roads. We have reached at Manikmia Avenue on foot.”
While most of the public transport owners didn’t bring out the buses, the few which plied stopped operating on the roads after 10:30 am. Shariful Islam, a supervisor at the City Bus depot in Mohammdpur said that they decided bring out the buses after 6 pm.
“Our route involves crossing the Shahbagh intersection. Since we cannot go there, we will not bring out the buses as long as the grand rally continues,” he said. – Staff Reporter
