While hundreds of commuters remained stuck in traffic on Hare Road yesterday evening, a car with flag pole took the wrong side of the road.

Stopped by police, its driver Rafiqul Islam nonchalantly said the car belonged to a member of Public Service Commission. “Sir asked me to go quickly.”

When police asked whether his “sir” asked him to take the wrong side, he just smiled.

As officers asked for the licence and registration, he took out his mobile phone and called his “sir” and approached a senior officer.

But when a group of journalists present there asked him to let them talk to his “sir”, Rafiqul cut the line.

Hundreds of commuters subjected to tailbacks around 6:40pm, cheered on the other side of the road, “Catch him, catch him, do not let him go.” 

Rafiqul was fined Tk 1,200 for flouting traffic rules.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police filed cases against 41 others and fined them during a two-hour special operation from around 5:00pm to curb driving on the wrong side. Drivers of microbuses of a PDB assistant commissioner and an assistant superintendent of police of CID, a Rajuk bus, two microbuses of private TV channels, a car, 23 motorcycles and eight three-wheelers were penalised.

Mosleh Uddin, additional commissioner (traffic) of DMP, who was present there, said similar operations have been taking place at different points since last year. On an average, 300 to 350 cases are filed every day for driving on the wrong side.

He added they may not be able to stop driving on the wrong side overnight but the frequency of the crime was declining gradually. “The drive will continue and we are hopeful that it will come to an end.”

DMP conducted a three-day special operation from September 24 against driving on the wrong side. On the first day, police fined 57 drivers for going against traffic on Hare Road. Drivers of a state minister, a lawmaker, several top bureaucrats, an army officer and journalists were among those penalised.

Vehicles of a senior and a deputy secretary of the home ministry, an additional secretary of the communications ministry and an officer of the public administration ministry were also fined.

The driver of Mafruha Sultana, secretary of rural development and co-operatives division, was fined on two consecutive days. Mafruha was in the car on both occasions.

On September 26, police penalised SUVs of a top-ranking police officer, a joint secretary, and more than 57 motorcyclists on Hare Road and Bijoy Sarani.

According to DMP records, traffic police fined 1,16,026 vehicles in the last fiscal year for going against traffic.