Home-goers protest at long tailback on Dhaka-Tangail highway

By setting fire, 'agitated' home-bound people staged demonstrations at different places on Dhaka-Tangail highway as thousands of them were suffering amid scorching heat due to a long tailback on Sunday.

The holidaymakers set fire on the highway in Salla, Kalihati’s Pauli, Tangail’s Rasulpur and Gharinda areas.

The passengers said they took to the streets as the vehicles were stuck at the same place for up to four hours.

The tailback was severe until 3:00pm today.

Superintendent of police in Tangail Sanjit Kumar Roy said the congestion was mainly created on Nalka Bridge in Sirajganj and Hatikumrul and Kadda intersections and a long tailback resulted.

The traffic congestion in the western side of Bangabandhu Bridge was so severe that its toll plaza authorities (east) had to shut down its operations for more than once until noon today.

The authorities shut down the toll plaza for five times, said Bangabandhu Bridge police station (east) officer-in-charge Mosharraf Hossain.

This shutting down of realising toll also created around a 60-km long gridlock up to Mirzapur at the eastern side of the bridge.

Besides, it took time to clear the road if any vehicle got out of order on the bridge, creating congestion, Mosharraf Hossain added.

People expressed their frustration at the authorities for their apparent failure to take effective measures to mitigate the tailback created during every Eid holidays.

One Shariful Haq from Bogura said people suffer during the Eid holidays every year but it is a shame the authorities do not take action to mitigate it.

Another Jahangir Alam from Rajshahi said this tailback kills the joys of returning home.