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Thousands shut out of cantonment roads

Sultana Rahman
Thousands are shut out of four major cantonment roads as authorities made them off-limits to commuters for what the army said were security reasons after the launch of Mohakhali flyover on November 4.
Residents from Ibrahimpur, Kafrul, Kochukhet and Mirpur have to use an alternative route which is not only time-consuming but also costly.
"We could easily go to Farmgate through Jahangir Gate, but now we have to travel via Banani or Mirpur in a long detour," said Mohammad Ali, a Kafrul resident
The cantonment authorities have recently circulated a notice that no civil transports arc allowed to use the cantonment roads and told the residents that all transit passes through the cantonment roads would be cancelled after the inauguration of Mohakhali flyover.
Only the people residing inside the cantonment, who were given special stickers, will be allowed to use the roads.
Mirpur residents, especially those who need to go to Banani, Mohakhali, Gulshan and Uttara,
have to drive a long way, as they have no alternative routes except for Agargaon Road, the route that takes 30 minutes extrain rush hours.
"I used to go to office in Banani through the cantonment that took me 35 minutes from home, but the restriction on the cantonment roads costs me another 20 to 30 minutes," said Dipankar Chowdhury, a Mirpur resident.
Another resident in Ibrahimpur complained that before the opening of the flyover he drove only 2km from home to Banani via the cantonment, but now as he has been detoured he has to drive almost 10km to get there.
"It's a matter of security. Free use of cantonment roads may hamper security," said an army official, asking not to be named. "The road from Kachukhet to the Banani MP checkpoint is open to residents with stickers issued by the army," the official added.
The Prime Minister's Office last year decided to open the cantonment road to small civilian vehicles until the construction of Mohakhali flyover ends. In line with the decision, small nonmilitary vehicles plied through Jahangir Gate to Banani Gate from 7:00am until 11:00pm.
Army Headquarters sources said the cantonment authorities took a series of measures to handle a large volume of traffic and the decision to open up the cantonment thoroughfare helped ease gridlock in Mohakhali and Banani vicinities.
Experts fear the opening of Mohakhali flyover will increase traffic jam instead of easing it and blamed it on the lack of a link road in the flyover area.
"The closure of Jahangir Gate will make the Airport Road congested as a huge volume of traffic will have no other alternative route to ply which will be more unsafe not only for the cantonment but for the Prime Minister’s office,” a senior official with the communications ministry said, asking not to be named.