Traffic jam
Mohammad Sultan On e-mail
Dhaka is a big city. About twelve million people live here. Day by day the number is increasing and Old Dhaka is badly affected by the population growth. Once upon a time Dhaka was regarded as a city of mosques but it has long lost its glory. Today Dhaka is a filthy place. A few days ago a daily newspaper published a picture of the first day of S.S.C. examinations. A girl with her guardian were late to arrive at the exam hall due to traffic jam. Both of them were very anxious because the girl might have missed the exam. About seven lakh rickshaws ply the city roads, but only 75 thousand have legal numbers. This gigantic number of rickshaws is creating traffic jam. From time to time attempts are made to reduce the number, but the initiative usually produces no results. The number of rickshaw pullers is huge. So they have to be rehabilitated in the agriculture sector once rickshaws are pulled out of city roads. Traffic jam and Old Dhaka are almost synonymous. There is no road or street or lane free from traffic jam. Nayabazar, Najimuddin Road, Chawkbazar, Imamganj, Moulvibazar, Bangshal, Najirabazar, Nawabpur, North-South Road, English Road, French Road, Kaji Alauddin Road, Allubazar are places where traffic jams are a common sight. Traffic jam is obstructing trade and commerce. Illegal parking is another reason for traffic jam. Cars, trucks and other vehicles are parked almost everywhere. Drivers do not go by traffic rules. And there are bus terminals not authorised by the traffic department. The traffic managers have failed to do anything about this problem and the situation is going from bad to worse day by day. It is expected that the authorities concerned will look into the matter in right earnest and ease the traffic situation in Old Dhaka.
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