Dhaka sees low traffic movement

The usual hustle and bustle have noticeably been absent in the capital city Sunday morning, with a minimal number of private vehicles, and a limited number of office-goers out on the roads. 

Despite being the week’s first working day, no significant presence of public transport was seen on the roads. 

On the previous day, the Student Against Discrimination announced a one-point demand for the government’s resignation and called for a complete non-cooperation from today. Due to the programme, the city dwellers are reportedly hesitating to leave their residences as per regular routine. 

A female service holder, who resides in the Mirpur DOHS area, said on the condition of anonymity that he decided not to attend the office today as various campaigns developed a sense of fear in her over the night.  

On a typical Sunday, the city roads get congested with heavy traffic and rush of office-goers.

During spot visits between 7:30 am and 10:00 am, all the major points of the city, including Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Uttara, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Tejgaon, Karwan Bazar, Farmgate, Bijoy Sarani, Kalyanpur, and Shyamoli, were found with noticeably low traffic.

A few private cars, motorcycles, and rickshaws were found on the roads, but the presence of buses, CNG-run auto-rickshaws, and microbuses was sparse. Commuters were seen waiting at bus stops for extended periods, with some resorting to walking or taking rickshaws to reach their destinations. 

Akhtar Hossain, a commuter who was waiting for a vehicle at Farmgate around 9:30 am, said he needed to get to Jatrabari for urgent work, but could not get into any bus. He found two buses during his wait, but failed to hop on due to heavy pressure of passengers. 

A Prothom Alo reporter traveled from Mirpur to Karwan Bazar on a motorcycle. Sharing his experience, he said the commuters are traveling on rickshaws at various distances, while some others were seen waiting for buses at different bus stops. 

There was no police presence at Mirpur-10 intersection in the morning, though some officers were positioned in an alley near the intersection.