Traffic congestion, caused by protest, chokes capital
The long tailback on Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue is just a common scene of what people experienced on almost all city streets after unsuccessful BCS candidates blocked Shahbagh intersection, halting traffic movement, demanding cancellation of quota system in public service exams.
The Public Services Commission (PSC) Wednesday decided to review the results of 34th BCS preliminary tests following a daylong demonstration by a group of unsuccessful job seekers in the capital who demanded cancellation of quota system.
“PSC will decide ways to evaluate results later,” Mir Mosharraf Hossain, PSC public relations officer, told The Daily Star over phone Wednesday afternoon.
The PSC decision was taken at an emergency meeting hours after demonstrations at Shahbagh intersection halting traffic movement, which paralysed the whole city.
The demonstrators meanwhile announced they would continue their protest until the authorities cancel quota provisions in the 34th BCS tests as well as from all public service tests.
Thousands of people remained stuck in different kinds of vehicles as scores others walked to their destinations under the scorching sun.
Government job seekers block the Shahbagh intersection on Tuesday demanding cancellation of quota system in public servants recruitment.
The protesters also announced to stay at the Shahbagh intersection until 10:00pm to press home their demand, Shaheen Alam, a master’s student at Dhaka University, read out a written statement on behalf of the protesters.
The demonstrators will again gather the same venue at 11:00am over the same demand.
Following the demonstration at the Shahbagh intersection since morning, the capital choked in an acute traffic congestion.
Joined by a large number of students from Dhaka University (DU), the agitators were continuing their demonstration at 6:30pm when this report was filed.
The gridlock just one day before the beginning of holy month of Ramadan aggravated the situation with the spillover spreading to almost all the city streets.
Hundreds of government job seekers block the Shahbagh intersection on Tuesday demanding cancellation of quota system in public servants recruitment.
The students who could not pass the preliminary test of the 34th BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service) examinations were demanding a change in the quota system claiming they were not selected despite obtaining high marks in the preliminary test.
The PSC introduced the quota system from the 34th preliminary test of BCS examinations.
Earlier, the PSC authorities used to retain the quota system in the final stage of the BCS examinations that means during the viva time.
According to the news system, a total of 56 percent BCS candidates get the quota facilities.
Witnesses said several hundred students at first brought out a procession on the DU campus around 10:00am to press home their demand.
After parading the campus, the procession ended up at Shahbagh intersection.
Then the agitating students started demonstration blocking the road around 11:00am.
Source: The Daily Star
