Shawdesh Desk:

The traffic congestion has turned severe in and around the capital with the Eid-ul-Fitr festival drawing nearer.

The sufferings of commuters know no bounds for severe traffic congestions.

The city people are living a miserable life due to the daily traffic jams.

Office-goers and guardians of schoolchildren have alleged that they get stuck in traffic jams every morning.

Lutfur Rahman, a schoolteacher and resident of Mughda area in the capital, said the major problem of the capital is the traffic jam.

Many students and office-goers are late to reach their educational institutions and workplaces respectively.

Valuable time of commuters is wasted due to the traffic jams in the overcrowded capital.

Every Sunday witnesses terrible traffic jams as it is the first day of a week after the two-day (Friday and Saturday) weekly holiday.

The numbers of vehicles, passengers and pedestrians were higher on the roads of the capital than other days.

Meanwhile, various road development projects are underway.

Traffic police are engaged in performing their duties on the roads every day to reduce traffic congestions.

Vehicles are parked on the roadside in different areas, including Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara, Dhanmondi and Mirpur, which causes severe traffic jams.

Severe traffic jams were found in Mirpur 2, 10, 14, Vasantek, Pallabi Agargaon, Shyamoli, Banani-Kakli, Mohakhali, Satarasta, Rampura, Malibagh, Karwanbazar, Panthapath and Uttara on Sunday.

Unbearable traffic jam was seen from Mirpur 14 to Kachukhet check post around 12:30pm. On the other hand, the sidewalk is occupied by hawkers.

Excessive traffic jam started around 12:30 pm. Transport drivers and passengers and pedestrians have demanded a reduction in traffic congestions for healthy and normal movement.

Hundreds of vehicles, mostly passenger buses, private cars, motorbikes and slowing moving rickshaws, were seen stuck for hours on different busy roads and thoroughfares, including Motijheel, Purana-Paltan, Gulistan, Malibagh, Moughbazar, Kawranbazar, Tejgaon, Mirpur, Gulshan and Banani.

Abu Raihan Mohammad Saleh, joint commissioner (traffic north) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said a huge turnout of motor vehicles, rickshaws and road repair work are causing severe traffic congestions on different city-streets.

People as well as vehicles in large numbers are also coming out and rushed to markets and shopping malls to do shopping ahead of the Eid festival.

“We are working hard to tackle the nagging traffic jams,” the joint commissioner added.

Massive traffic congestions were seen in most of the city streets, including Farmgate-Airport Road, Newmarket-Mirpur road, Paltan-Shahbagh, Gulistan Malibagh, Jatrabari-Malibagh, Malibagh Badda-Urrata road on Sunday.

Traffic jams were also found in the surrounding areas of the capital, including Tongi, Savar, Keraniganj and Kanchpur.