Dhaka: Traffic pressure has intensified on the 105-kilometre Cumilla stretch of the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway as many people started heading home to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha with their near and dear ones, triggering slow movement, long tailbacks and prolonged travel times.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the number of buses, cattle-laden trucks and goods-carrying vehicles has increased significantly on the highway, creating congestion at different points and disrupting normal traffic movement. Meanwhile, two covered vans collided in Chandina on the highway early Friday, causing one of the vehicles to overturn and leading to traffic disruption for nearly 45 minutes, said Eliotganj Highway Police Sergeant Mahmud. He, however, said traffic returned to normal after the damaged vehicles were removed from the road in the morning.
Long queues of vehicles were also seen at the Meghna-Gomti Bridge toll plaza in Daudkandi as vehicles moved slowly while paying tolls. In addition, traffic flow has been affected at several busy points on the highway, including Gouripur, Madhaiya, Chandina, Cantonment, Alekharchar, Paduar Bazar and Chauddagram, due to indiscriminate picking up and dropping of passengers by vehicles.
Passengers and drivers said it was taking much longer than usual to reach their destinations, causing suffering. They also feared that congestion and public suffering could worsen before and after Eid unless highway police strengthen monitoring and traffic management measures.