Staff Reporter:
Thousands of commuters faced severe disruption on Thursday morning as two trucks broke down in the Meradia area, causing heavy traffic from Rampura to Natunbazar.
Traffic police sources said water accumulated on the road in Meradia following heavy rainfall at around 4:00am, causing two trucks to break down and block the thoroughfare.
The breakdown quickly created a long tailback stretching across Natunbazar, Badda and Meradia all the way to Rampura. Hundreds of buses, private cars, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and motorcycles remained stranded for hours.
Frustrated by the prolonged delay, many commuters left their transport vehicles and walked to their destinations in the rain. Passengers expressed anger over missing their schedules for offices, educational institutions and emergency appointments. Women, children, elderly people and patients suffered the most during the gridlock.
Due to the congestion, several public transport operators including Alif and Baishakhi rerouted their buses via Gulshan-2 instead of using the Badda Link Road. This diversion subsequently increased traffic pressure on the Gulshan route. Traffic flow from Rampura to Kuril Bishwa Road, however, remained normal.
Assistant Commissioner Asaduzzaman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Traffic Division (Rampura Zone) said officers had removed one of the broken trucks, while work to clear the second truck continued.
He added that the stalled vehicles disrupted traffic in the area and caused the gridlock to spread from Natunbazar to Rampura.
