Commuters suffer as roads blocked at key points

Commuters had to walk for long to reach their destinations as the Dhaka city got almost paralysed because of road blockades by students at different key points on Thursday.

Students in capital Dhaka staged demonstrations at different areas protesting the death of their fellow of Notre Dame College Naim Hasan and demanding road safety.

They took to the streets including Motijheel Shapla Chattar, Farmgate, Uttara’s Azampur, Asadgate, Mirpur, Gulistan, and Kakrail at around 11am and put barricades to protest the tragic death of Naim in a road crash on Wednesday.

Vehicular movement in different parts of the city got stuck due to the demonstrations, creating traffic congestion that caused immense suffering to commuters.

Visiting many places, the reporter found many commuters were being forced to reach their destinations on foot as almost the entire capital came to a standstill.

While talking to the reporter at Farmgate, Samiur Rabbi, a private sector service holder, said he got on a bus at Mohammadpur bus stand this morning intending to reach Gulshan but he was forced to get down at Asadgate due to the students’ blockade programme.

“At last, finding no other alternative, I have begun walking on foot to reach Gulshan. But, I don’t know when and how I will be able to reach there,” he said, citing his sufferings.

Farzana Khanom, an office assistant, first reached Banglamotor intersection by a ride sharing motorbike from her Shaheedbag residence and then she was forced to reach her office located at Indira Road near Farmgate on foot.

"I did not see any vehicular movement on the Kaji Nazrul Islam Avenue at that time and thus, I started walking on foot,” she said.

Kaji Nazrul Islam Avenue was empty of public transport while many vehicles from Farmgate to Manik Mia Avenue and from Farmgate to Bijoy Sarani road stood still.

In the Farmgate area, the agitating students were seen engaged in the halting movement of public transports but they were seen allowing ambulances and vehicles of emergency service to ply on the street.

Sometimes, they were seen verifying driving licences and necessary papers of vehicles as an outcome of their anger towards reckless driving.