42 km tailback on Dhaka-Chittagong highway

The Dhaka-Chittagong highway witnessed 42-kilometre long tailback on Saturday due to heavy pressure of vehicles, causing sufferings to thousands of commuters.

Several hundred vehicles were stuck on both sides on the busy highway stretching from Madanpur of Narayanganj to Daudkandi upazila of Comilla.

Vehicles ply through the four-lane highway have to cross two-lane Daudkandi, Meghna and Kanchpur bridges that slows down speed of vehicles on the highway, an official of  highway police said.

Shoyeb, a banker, said he started journey for Dhaka from Chittagong at 2:00 am. He reached Daudkandi Toll plaza when it was 11:18 am. "Usually I cross it early in the morning when travel to Dhaka by night coach. I don't know when I can reach Dhaka," he added.

Abul Kalam Azad, Officer-in-charge of Daudlkandi Highway Police Station, said the tailback started on Thursday night and the situation did not improve till 10 am due to heavy pressures of vehicles.

“The Police are trying to ease the traffic movement”, he said.