30km tailback on Dhaka-Tangail highway

A 30-kilometre tailback was created on Dhaka-Tangail highway today, causing immense sufferings to the holidaymakers.

Due to the tailback, the homebound passengers, especially children and women have become the worst sufferer with having no toilet facilities on their way.

Starting from the east side of the Bangabandhu Bridge, the tailback reached Karatia area, our Tangail correspondent reports visiting the area.

The authorities of the eastern side toll booth of the Bangabandhu Bridge halted releasing of bus after taking toll five times within two and half hour till 8:36am this morning due to the acute traffic jam at the western side of the bridge, said Masud Raihan, officer-in-charge of Bangabandhu Bridge East Police Station.

The closer of the toll taking was the main cause of the tailback on the highway, the police officer said.

Besides, the passengers and drivers of the long-route vehicles blamed the goods and passengers laden trucks, pickup vans and other modes of local vehicles for the tailback.

They also blamed the government for its mismanagement on the highways and demanded resignation of the road transport and bridges minister.

Many home-bound people were seen staging demonstration in the Alenga Bus Stand area around 9:00am setting fire on tyres, blaming the government for their suffering.

While talking to our correspondent, Shaheen, a Thakurgaon-bound passenger, said he will never go to his village house to celebrate Eid in future as it took four hours to cross four kilometer roads from Alenga.

Passenger buses of the country’s 21 northern and south-western districts pass through the Bangabandhu Bridge every day, but the number of the vehicles increases abnormally during the Eid holidays.

A total of 33,120 vehicles crossed the Bangabandhu Bridge in the last 24 hours till 6:00am this morning, an official of the toll plaza at the bridge told The Daily Star

Of the vehicles, 21, 821 went towards the northern and south-western districts while 12, 299 vehicles came to Dhaka during the time, the source said. 

A total of 36, 278 buses crossed the Bangabandhu Bridges in 24 hours till Friday morning which was a record for the first time, the official said.