Morning commuters suffer in gridlock

Commuters suffered today, the last day of the working week, on Dhaka roads as most of them were stuck in the area in and around Farmgate owing to a diversion there.

A diversion was created on the roads of Farmgate around 10:00am due to a Prime Minister’s programme at Khamarbari, Bangla daily Prothom Alo reports quoting traffic control room.

Many had to spend at least thirty minutes to an hour more than most other days to reach their destinations.

“On an average it takes me 30 minutes to my Karwan Bazar office from my house in Shyamoli. Today, it took me one and half hours after many detours,” said one office-goer.

“When I saw that Mirpur Road is completely blocked, I tried to take the Old Airport Road to Farmgate and then on to Karwan Bazar. I barely made it to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and was stuck again. By the time I made it to Khamarbari, I realised the problem. Police were cordoning off the streets, both lanes of Khamarbari feeding into Farmgate were closed,” he said.

He eventually walked to his destination.

The gridlock extended into the roads in and around Farmgate and also stretched to Shewrapara in Mirpur, Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhanmondi-27, Tejgaon and even Mohakhali.