Shawdesh Desk:

Indiscriminate parking of private cars and other vehicles is causing severe traffic jams in the Jatiya Press Club area and other places of the capital, which intensifies sufferings of commuters.

From morning to midnight every day, major parts of the busy streets in the press club area remains almost blocked by vehicles of very important persons (VIPs).

Hundreds of vehicles, mostly private cars of officials of different ministries and offices, are kept parked in an unplanned way, blocking major portion of the road.

Such reckless car parking and unplanned traffic management are a common incident in the area. Law enforcers look on helplessly, many alleged.

On Tuesday, police sergeants were present there, but took no action against traffic rule violators to ensure smooth traffic.

When contacted, Abu Saleh Mohammad Raihan, joint commissioner of the DMP’s traffic department, said most of the vehicles parked in the press club area belong to high officials of the Secretariat and Biddut Bhaban and Sharak Paribahan pool.

“We often take legal measures, including video cases, against such the traffic rule violators.”

“We are also sending letters to different ministries repeatedly asking them to keep their vehicles elsewhere, but they pay fine and continue to park violating traffic rules,” he added.

Indiscriminate road digging, footpath occupation by hawkers and construction work of metro rail are also blamed for the growing traffic chaos in the capital.

“We are trying our best to tackle the situation,” the police officer added.

While visiting the area on Tuesday, this correspondent found that several hundred vehicles, mostly private cars, were parked blocking major parts of nearby busy roads stretching from Western side to Eastern side of the Abdul Gani road to the Secretariat and Eastern side of the National Press club.

Due to the illegal parking of a huge number of vehicles, a large number of vehicles passing through Abdul Gani Road are stuck in traffic gridlock.

Aktar Hossain, a roadside tea-stall owner, said hundreds of vehicles are parked indiscriminately on these busy roads from morning to night every day. These parked vehicles hinder free movement of the traffic, causing untold sufferings for commuters, he said.

Besides this, many political parties and other voluntary organisations often organise their programmes in front of the Jatiya Press Club regularly which draws huge number of people causing severe traffic congestions in and around the area, said a journalist.

Besides, many government offices, government banks and even private ones located at Motijheel, Dilkosha, Purana Paltan, Arambagh, Kakrail park their vehicles in front of their offices blocking major portion of the nearby busy roads.

An on-the-spot visit and account of the affected people show that private cars of these offices and banks are contributing to majority of the traffic congestions through helter-skelter parking of vehicles on the public streets.

Hundreds of buses of different inter-district routes including Dhaka-Gazipur, Dhaka Savar, Dhaka-Manikganj are using the busy Fulbaria of Gulistan road for illegal parking.

The bus counters include Star Line, Tisha, Eagle, Jatayat, Ena, Shohag, Ekushe, kanak, Rupali Bangla, Moon Line, Himachal, Sykot, Bismillah, Shyamoli, TR Travel, Dhaka Express, Econo Service, Royel Coach, Al-Baraka, Himaloya, Unic, Shanti, Hanif, Anana Super and Royea star.

Late mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Anisul Huq took a hard stand against illegal parking and evicted all transports from Tejgaon area. After his death, the situation has returned to the previous chaotic state.

Similarly, streets in Technical, Kalyanpur, Shamoli, Gulistan, Fulbaria, Fokirapool, Maniknagar Biswa road, Golapbagh and College Gate are flooded with buses of different city and inter-district transports.

According to a recent report published in different Bangla newspapers, illegal parking of vehicles occupy as much as 30 per cent of the city streets and naturally has been seriously hampering normal traffic flow in addition to causing nuisance to pedestrians.

Experts said lack of monitoring as well as inadequate parking facilities and the weakness in traffic management are responsible for the growing illegal parking.

In absence of permanent car parking facilities, vehicles are being randomly parked on the streets adjacent to shopping malls, schools, financial institutions, business establishments and government and private offices.