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POST-JULY 1 GULSHAN-BANANI

Commuters in a bind for lack of transport

PANKAG KARMAKAR and RAHUL ISLAM
Her face was careworn with anxiety and she was repeatedly looking at her wristwatch.
Standing on a street near the Kakoli intersection at Banani on Sunday morning, Mahmuda Khatun had desperately been looking for a rickshaw or a CNG-run autorickshaw for the last 15 minutes.
She had to reach her office starting shortly but was not getting any transport.
Frustrated, the 35-year-old began to walk towards her destination. One of these correspondents, who was standing nearby, saw it and approached her to talk.
"Like the previous few days, I will again be late for my office today," said Mahmuda, who works at a business firm in Banani Bazar area.
Later, she told the correspondent over phone that she was 20 minutes late and was totally exhausted for having walked the entire way. Like her, hundreds of other commuters are suffering every day for lack of transport as bus operation at almost all the places in Gulshan and Banani areas of the capital have remained suspended for over a month now.
The authorities concerned suspended the bus services for security reasons
following the terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, said officials from the traffic division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
On July 1, gunmen stormed the upscale eatery and killed 20 hostages, mostly foreign nationals. Two police officials were also killed during the 12-hour hostage standoff.
Buses were seen operating only on the Mohakhali-Gulshan-l-Link Road route.
However, talking to The Daily Star, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Mayor Annisul Huq said as an "alternative measure", 30 air-conditioned (AC) buses and 500 rickshaws would hit the streets in the areas by August 9.
Meanwhile, the suspension of the bus operation without arranging any "alternative way" has irked many commuters.
"People having cars might not face any trouble but it is making us suffer a lot," said Kalimullah, who works at a stationery shop in Gulshan-2 area.
People's transport cost has also increased.
Earlier, Sabir Hossain, an employee of an international development organisation, had to pay a bus fare of Tk 25 for travelling from his home at Mirpur-11 to his office at Gulshan-2.
But lately, he has to get down at the Kakoli intersection and reach his office by CNG-run auto-rickshaws, costing him an additional Tk 80 to Tk
100 every day.
Even though, auto-rickshaws and taxis are allowed to operate in the areas, their number is not sufficient.
The Daily Star correspondents visited the Kakoli, Gulshan-1 and Gulshan-2 intersections yesterday and saw people rushing to hire autorickshaws.
Taking the advantage of the transport crisis, the CNG drivers and rickshaw-pullers were charging extra.
With an aim to lessen public sufferings, 30 AC buses would be introduced by August 9 and these vehicles would be operated within Gulshan, Banani and Niketon areas, said DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq.
Although private operators will run the service, the DNCC would coordinate the overall activity with the help of DMP and other stakeholders, he said.
"We will set the passengers' fare as per the government rate," he told this paper on Monday.
As per rules, any commercial vehicle must take route permit for its operation. In case of vehicles under the Dhaka metropolitan area, the Regional Transport Committee headed by the DMP commissioner issues the route permit.
The process of taking the route permit is underway, said the mayor.
Of the 30 buses, some will carry passengers from Natunbazar to Kakoli while others between Police Plaza near Hatirjheel and Gulshan, he added.
Apart from the buses, 500 rickshaws will also hit the streets in the areas.
The rickshaw-pullers and bus drivers will be provided with ID cards, said Rafiqul Islam, assistant commissioner of police (Gulshan zone).
The number of buses and rickshaws would be increased, if needed, said police.