Home-bound passengers and transport workers are apprehending severe hassles on the Dhaka-Tangail highway during the upcoming Eid journey.
They said every year a long tailback is created on the highway during Eid, putting homebound passengers as well as transport workers into a great hassle. This year also, the situation would not change.
Passengers of 26 districts of the country’s northern region travel through this highway during the Eid, creating traffic of thousands of vehicles, mostly buses.
During a spot visit, it was seen that construction of the four-lane highway is going on in full swing, and the probability of the completion of the development project is very thin. Moreover, big and small ditches have been created on the highway at different portions of the highway including Karatia, Tangail bypass, Gharinda bypass, Rasulpur, Elenga and Mirzapur. “The ditches become full of water even after a little downpour,” said locals.
On the other hand, construction of four-lane is going on from Chandra at Gazipur to Elenga of Kalihati, stretching around 70 km, halting traffic at one side of the highway. As a result, vehicles are plying on one side creating a tailback of hundreds of cars and buses. “In no way, the construction will end before the Eid,” said bus drivers, adding that harassment might increase several times during the festival.
Humayun, a driver of Hanif Paribahan, told this correspondent that due to slow construction process they are already suffering a lot. “We are thinking what would happen during the Eid.”
He, however, expressed hope that the traffic movement will get momentum if highway and district police jointly maintain discipline during the Eid.
Manager of the four-lane project Zikrul Hasan said most of the bridges and some portions and bridges of the highway will be opened before the Eid. “We hope, there will be no traffic jam at that time.”