12-hour traffic jam on Dhaka-Chittagong highway

A traffic jam occurred on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Sitakunda, Chittagong yesterday around 12 noon. The traffic jam in Bhatiari market of the upazila goes beyond the city gate of Chittagong city. After 12 hours, the traffic on the highway became somewhat normal at around 12:00 yesterday night. Passengers traveling on the highway have to suffer due to this long traffic jam.

Local residents say that the traffic jam starts after noon for three days. The traffic jam continued till late night. Buses departing from Chittagong stand on the highway in front of the ticket counter of Bhatiari Bazar in the upazila and pick up and drop passengers. Due to which traffic jam is created. Earlier there used to be traffic police to divert the buses from the highway. Now there is no traffic police.

Highway police officials say that the traffic jam has been caused due to the admission test of Chittagong University for the last two days. Also, due to speed breakers at Lalpol bridge area in Bhatiari on the highway, all the vehicles have to move slowly in that area. Due to this, traffic jams are created. Apart from this, there was a traffic jam in front of Faujdarhat traffic box at the head of Faujdarhat Bayezid and Faujdarhat Port-Connection Road during lane change.

Yesterday night, it was seen on the ground that the vehicles in the traffic jam from Bhatiari Bazar to City Gate on the highway are sometimes moving slowly. Sometimes standing. Many passenger buses are parked on the highway in Bhatiari Bazar area, plying passengers. But there was no policeman to control the order. Apart from this, in front of the Faujdarhat traffic box, the vehicles coming from Chittagong City Bayezid came in the opposite direction and got on the Dhaka-bound lane of the highway and created a traffic jam.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bar Auliya Highway Police Station Belal Uddin Jahangir said that the admission test was conducted in Chittagong University on Wednesday and Thursday. Thousands of students and parents descend on Bhatiari Bazar on the highway and return to their destination by the same route at the end of the day. Due to which traffic congestion is created on the highway. Due to the speed limit in Lalpol Bridge area, the traffic jam has increased.

The OC also said that traffic police are not present in Bhatiari Bazar area now. Apart from this, highway police patrol team is present in the area. He claimed that the highway police will not allow buses to stop on the highway as long as they are there. Whenever the highway police patrol goes to another place, the passenger buses stand on the highway and ferry passengers.

Deputy Inspector (SI) Md. was in the highway police patrol team. Alamgir Hossain. He said that the traffic jam that occurred yesterday afternoon has passed 12 midnight. Admission test, pressure of commuters to return home on Thursday, traffic jams become intense due to vehicular movement in Uturn. They had to speed up to clear the traffic jam.