Night time gridlock in Kalyanpur

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Inter-district buses are halting at counters in Kalyanpur and Shyamoli in the capital to pick up and drop passengers despite a government ban, adding to existing traffic congestion.

The authorities ahead of Ramadan decided that no inter-district bus will be allowed to enter the city, except those which go through the city to their destinations.

However, these buses, allowed to enter city after 8:00pm, have not been authorised to pick or drop passengers on the way.

Residents and commuters on Mirpur Road allege some inter-district buses, which don’t need to cross the city, start entering Kalyanpur bus stand and even Shyamoli from 10:00pm violating the restriction.

Earlier, all kinds of inter-district buses could enter the city after 8:00pm.

When severe traffic jam is created on the bustling Mirpur Road, vehicular movement on Shyamoli Ring Road, Agargaon link road and all adjoining alleys come to a standstill.

“When those buses take turns, traffic flow on both sides of the road comes to a halt for several minutes causing congestion,” said Shyamoli resident Nazmul Alam.

Bus operators claim their vehicles don’t enter the city at all for collecting or dropping passengers. “None of our buses enter either Shyamoli or Kalyanpur,” said Sheikh Harunur Rashid, official of one of the largest bus operators Hanif Paribahan.

However, a quite opposite picture was seen during a visit to Shyamoli and Kalyanpur around 11:30pm on Friday.

Several dozens of buses of Hanif, Al-Hamara, Modern, National Travels, Nabil, Shyamoli, Agomony and Sohag Paribahan were seen collecting passengers in front of counters in Kalyanpur.

“It often takes me 30 to 40 minutes to pass half a kilometre road between Shyamoli and Kalyanpur at night by my office car due to severe traffic gridlock thanks to parking of these buses,” said Abul Kashem, who works as an executive at a private firm in Mohakhali.

More than 50 inter-district buses have counters in Kalyanpur.

He also said queues of vehicles particularly inter-district buses in front of filling stations in Kalyanpur also contribute to traffic congestion.

Though not authorised, many minibuses of the big transport companies also remain parked in lines on Mirpur Road to ferry passengers from counters to terminals.

Those buses are seen parked even more than half an hour at the same place blocking traffic movement.

Joint Commissioner (Traffic) Jasimuddin said they have recently decided that inter-district buses would collect and drop passengers at the terminals only.

He said buses can go through the city at night to reach their destination, but will not be allowed to collect or drop any passengers, let alone stopping at the counters.

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