SECOND EDITION
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016
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Bhadra 26, 1423, Zil-Hajj 7, 1437
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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 136
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www.dhakatribune.com
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32 pages |
Price: Tk10
‘It’s going out of control’ n Tribune Desk The Eid rush has begun with the familiar nightmare of traffic deadlock on the highways. With three days left for Eid, Dhaka has poured out into the roads heading north, southwest and southeast, with the usual result of miles after miles of tailback in every direction. Dhaka Tribune’s correspondents on the road have reported that every journey is taking three to four times the usual time. Narrow bridges, reduced navigability on the Padma river and constant accidents and vehicle breakdowns were some of the problems facing the commuters, they said. Our Manikganj correspondent reported that the Paturia ferry terminal was overflowing with traffic, with thousands of vehicles stuck trying to get across the Padma river, mostly private cars and buses. The 18 ferries operating from the terminal continuously were doing little to relieve
this pressure. At the terminal, the correspondent found that a large number of passengers were boarding the ferries, leaving very little room for vehicles. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation’s (BIWTC) Aricha ferry sector Deputy General Manager Sheikh Md Nasim admitted that things were going out of hand. Cars were more numerous than buses at the terminal. According to Nasim around 2,500 vehicles were stuck on both sides. Each vehicle was waiting for about 7-8 hours to board a ferry.
Unpredictable jams
On the Dhaka-Tangail highway, the administration is struggling to maintain a continuous flow of traffic. Our Tangail correspondent said the 62km from Gorai to the Bangabandhu bridge was filled entirely with vehicles that would sometimes move and sometimes become completely immovable. PAGE 2 COLUMN 4
Rising water level raises safety concerns in the waterways Mamun and n Shohel Ashif Islam Shaon As the homebound rush gains momentum ahead of Eid-ulAzha, experts as well as passengers taking water routes are concerned about the travel safety as stormy weather in the Padma River is making the journeys more dangerous than usual. Over a million people are estimated to leave Dhaka to go home for Eid holidays using the waterways, braving the weather and a rickety old transport system that lacks sufficient safety and security measures. Like the past years, inland water vessels are being used to carry the majority of holiday-
makers who are going home to the southern districts. The vessels are mostly old and overcrowded, as passengers complained to the Dhaka Tribune. Several steps have been taken to ensure travel safety, but experts claim that these measures are far from sufficient. Moreover, inclement weather is disrupting ferry services, making an already troublesome journey worse for the passengers. Sources said due to strong current and erosion in the Padma River, ferries on Daulatdia-Paturia and Shimulia-Kewrakandi routes are facing problems in carrying vehicles. The ferry service on PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
A toddler dozes off on her father's shoulder waiting at Dhaka's Gabtoli bus station for a long-route bus to arrive. Homeward-bound passengers in Dhaka were seen waiting for hours yesterday as most buses were stuck on the highways SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN