Traffic snarl hits Dhaka during Bhutan PM's visit

Grade-VII student Sabiha Akter Sumi was about 20 minutes late to school for her final exam on Saturday.

Liton Haiderbdnews24.com
Published : 6 Dec 2014, 08:12 PM
Updated : 6 Dec 2014, 08:12 PM

She had set out in good time but was caught in the traffic like many others during Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay's maiden Dhaka visit.

It usually takes about 20 minutes for Sumi to reach school from her Darussalam residence.

But on Saturday, the street was blocked when Tobgay was returning from the National Memorial in Savar.

"I had to leave out a question in the examination due to lack of time," Sumi said.

Schedules of numerous others went haywire due to the unexpected gridlock.

Farmgate, Karwanbazar, Shabagh were out of bounds for traffic for around an hour from 11am.

Adabor residence 'Zulfikar' was going to Gulistan from Adabor in his car. He had to sit still in his car for nearly half an hour.

"Normally, it takes around 30 minutes to get to Gulistan from home. But it took nearly two hours today," he said.

The gridlock caused by the half-hour road block took nearly two hours to ease.

Many others, including ambulances carrying patients, were also caught in the snarl.

When approached, DMP's Mirpur zone Assistant Commissioner (traffic) Mia Ahmed Newazi said: "Security of the foreign guest is the most important issue."

He said the road was opened around 11am after the Bhutanese prime minister returned from Savar.

"The student might have been stuck in the jam afterwards. But police would have certainly helped if they knew there were examinees or ill people there," he told bdnews24.com.

Tobgay, on a three-day visit, went to the National Memorial after arriving in Dhaka.

Police said he had reached Sonargaon Hotel just after 11am.

During this time, severe traffic gridlock was seen at Mirpur, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue and surrounding areas.

It took around two hours to ease the situation, police said.

"It is true that it took a bit of time to ease the traffic, but police were pro-active," said Assistant Commissioner Newazi.