People wait amid an acute shortage of public transport at Khilkhet in Dhaka on Saturday as a good number of buses were used to transport Awami League supporters who went to receive prime minister Sheikh Hasina on her return after attending the UNGA meeting. — Ali Hossain Mintu
Traffic tailbacks caused by the mass reception accorded to prime minister Sheikh Hasina by Awami League and its front and associate organisations left commuters suffering a lot in many areas on Saturday.
Thousands of leaders and activists of Awami League and its associate organizations began to gather with processions on both the sides of roads from Shahjalal International Airport to Ganabhaban, the prime minister’s official residence, with festoons, banners, placards, flowers, tiny boats and even balloons to greet the PM on her return after attending the 72nd session of United Nations’ General Assembly meeting.
They began to gather at 7:30am and, at places, when they had been marching along roads, vehicles had to move slowly. Band Party, drums and musical instruments were added to add colour to the mass reception for the prime minister.
In banners and festoons, the prime minister was termed ‘mother of humanity’ for ‘giving shelter to the Rohingyas fleeing violence in Myanmar.’
Though the day was a weekend, private business establishments, private offices and educational institutions remained open and the office goers had to suffer a lot amid scarcity of public transports in the morning on many routes as a good number of buses were used to transport the leaders and activists to join the mass reception programme, commuters and transport workers said.
The routes that witnessed traffic jam include Bijay Sarani-Mirpur, Mirpur-Mohakhali, Airport-Khilkhet-Banani-Kakali and Airport-Kuril roads.
Sources in Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the gathering of Awami League supporters at Banani, Khilkhet, and the Airport areas triggered tailbacks up to Tongi that slowed down speed of Dhaka-bound vehicles.
The flight carrying the prime minister landed Shahjalal at 9:20am and she was accorded a reception at the VVIP lounge of the airport. She reached her official residence around 10:45am.
The traffic became normalcy in the areas after 12:30pm, commuters said.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner (traffic north) Probir Kumar Roy said the traffic movement came to normalcy within a very short time after the prime minister passed the roads.
The prime minister left Dhaka for New York on September 16 to attend the UNGA meeting.
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday had requested the party leaders and activists not to be the cause of creating traffic congestion.
Dhaka city AL leaders requested the party leaders and activists no to use any musical instrument or drums or band party.
But, during the visit at different points of the mass reception, it was found that neither the request of the party general secretary not the call of Dhaka city AL leaders were heeded.
Source: New Age
