City traffic collapses: DCC, Rajuk to blame

City-dwellers witnessed severe traffic congestions on Sunday. Traffic movement on different busy roads and thoroughfares virtually collapsed triggering untold suffering to the commuters.
Many commuters opined that travelling in Dhaka city has now become a nightmare.
Thousands of motor vehicles, mostly passenger-buses, got stranded on busy city streets for hours causing severe traffic congestions.
A large number of people were seen waiting for hours at different bus stops and intersections for vehicles, including buses, auto-rickshaws, taxis and rickshaws.
A student of Dhaka University (DU) Saidur Rahman said reaching DU campus from his Uttara residence took over two hours though normally it takes only half an hour.
“By this time, (two hours) I can easily reach to Tangail from Dhaka through the highways” the DU student added.
At rush hour, a distance of three to four kilometres took about an hour to reach.
Destinations like Gulistan, Motijheel, older parts of Dhaka, Maghbazar, Malibagh, Gulshan, Banani and Dhanmondi are nightmares for commuters from any point in the city.
Especially frustrating the points were Hotel Sonargaon crossing, the road in front of the Prime Minister”s office, Maghbazar, Mouchak, Malibagh, Khilghaon, Rampura, Elephant Road, Science Laboratory, Green Road, Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Mohakhali and old parts of the city mainly at Dholaikhal, Postagola, Bangshal, Chowkbazar and Imamganj.
People missed important appointments, they were late for work, children and old people fell sick.
“Unfortunately, around 60 per cent of the city roads are encroached by hawkers, undesignated parking, and dumping of construction materials. 30 types of motorised and non-motorised vehicles are plying on the same street, causing haphazard traffic jams,” a police sergeant said.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Shahidul Haque while exchanging views with journalists at Rajarbagh police line auditorium on Sunday alleged that Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (RAJUK) were not assisting the police to ease the existing traffic gridlock.
DCC leased parts of many roads and thoroughfares for parking vehicles at different busy areas like Motijheel commercial hub.
Indiscriminate parking of a large number of motor vehicles on both the sides of the busy roads and thoroughfares usually disrupt free movement of traffic and cause traffic congestions.
Besides, many dustbins abandoned for garbage collection also occupy many important parts of the city-streets causing traffic jam.
On RAJUK”s non-cooperation, the top DMP police official said: “Keeping parking space is mandatory while constructing buildings in Dhaka. But it is absent in reality in many cases, although outlined in the design. RAJUK did not care for our requests to take steps.”

Courtesy of The News today