Staff Correspondent
Over the past week, protests demanding quota reform movement have intensified across the country, particularly in Dhaka.
On Sunday, their “Bangla Blockade” caused severe traffic jams, bringing the capital to a near standstill and causing significant inconvenience for thousands of commuters.
According to the pre-announcement of the quota reform activists, there is also a “Bangla Blockade” program scheduled for Monday at major road intersections in Dhaka and other parts of the country.
Due to the impact of Sunday’s traffic jams and inconvenience, the capital has been relatively empty since the morning. Most people have avoided going out to evade any trouble, and there are fewer vehicles on the road, with public transportation also being scarce.
A tour of several roads, including Shahbagh, Bangla Motor, Farmgate, Mohakhali, Kalabagan, Mirpur Road, Mirpur, Agargaon, and Moghbazar, reveals that the city's streets are as empty as on a holiday.
There are only a few vehicles on the roads.
Some drivers and city residents mentioned that the roadblocks by quota reform activists on Sunday caused traffic jams throughout the day in the capital.
People from various walks of life, including children, women, and the elderly, faced severe inconvenience.
As a result, people are not going out unless absolutely necessary. Those who are out are using rickshaws instead of their personal cars.
At the Bangla Motor intersection, Chowdhury Hossain, an employee of a private company, said: "My office is at Bangla Motor. Yesterday (Sunday), it took me almost three hours to get home to Mohammadpur. So today (Monday), I came to the office without my car."
Farid Uddin, another pedestrian, said: "The protesting students will block the roads again today like they did yesterday (Sunday). Traffic may come to a standstill. If that happens, we will face a lot of trouble."
SM Mehedi Hasan, joint commissioner (Traffic-South) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said: "Sunday's quota movement caused severe traffic congestions in Dhaka. However, we tried to provide alternative routes for the stuck vehicles to pass. We have regular instructions to reduce traffic jams on Monday as well."
The traffic police officer added: "Our senior officials are constantly monitoring the situation on the roads. They are observing the entire situation. We are prepared to control any kind of disorder that may arise. Additionally, our regular activities to maintain road discipline continue."
Staff Correspondent
