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Severe traffic jam near Eid markets

Kailash Sarkar
Most roads in front of the city shopping malls, markets and restaurants were crowded yesterday with thousands of Eid shoppers and vehicles, which created severe traffic congestions although it was a holiday with no office rush hours.
Hundreds of people could not reach their homes after completing shopping and were seen having iftar at markets and on the roads.
Many said shopping for the upcoming Durga Puja also intensified the daylong jams and crowds in front of Mouchak Market, Banga Bazar, New Market, Gausia, Bashundhara City Complex, Eastern Plaza, Rapa Plaza, Rifle Square, Ramna Bhaban and Hotel Star. Similar scenes were presented at Farmgate, Elephant Road, Karwan Bazar and Gulistan.
According to witnesses, traffic jams were severe mainly in Mouchak, Banga Bazar, New Market and Faringate areas where people of low and middle incomes do their shopping.
Many people said the crowd and jam started to intensify especially after iftar.
Hawkers also crowded the pavements at many places including Farmgate, Gulistan, Paltan, Malibagh, New Market and Elephan t Road as it was a holiday.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Naim Ahmed toidThe Daily Star that they relaxed restrictions allowing hawkers at roadsides and pavements and that this would continue during Ramadan.
"We have allowed business on the pavements and roadsides in consideration of people belonging to low income group,” the DMP commissioner said. "After the Eid, we will again restrict occupation of pavements and roadsides."
Private serviceman Mansur Aossain from cast RajaDazarTwno went to Elephant Road for shopping along with his family, said, "We came to the market after 3:00pm and we planned to have our iftar at a restaurant here."
Ruksana Akhter of Shantibagh, who went to Mouchak along with her two daughters in the afternoon, however had different plans. "It is not possible to live in this city...We planned to have iftar at home after completing shopping. But we could not even get out of Mouchak area as several hundred vehicles remained stuck just before iftar," she said in anger.
Shoppers said as it was a holiday the presence of traffic policemen was a little less than other days.
Members of various private security companies are generally deployed at most markets for maintaining traffic system, but they are not trained for traffic management.