Trees uprooted by storm block Dhaka roads

Tress felled by Monday night’s storm have blocked traffic in various locations around the capital.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 16 May 2017, 07:56 AM
Updated : 16 May 2017, 07:56 AM

A tree uprooted near the Prime Minister’s Office around midnight fell on a pickup van and injured the driver and his assistant, City Corporation officials said.

By Tuesday morning City Corporation and fire service officials had to cut down the trees and moved them to the side of the road, but the narrowing of the traffic lanes led to increased congestion, reported a bdnews24.com senior correspondent.

Felled trees and broken branches could also be seen in the Rampura, Hatirjheel, Mantripara on Minto Road, Dhanmondi and the Gulistan Metropolitan Threatre areas.

Around 150 workers from the Dhaka City Corporation Waste Management Department have been working alongside fire service personnel to clear trees from the road from 4 am, said Additional Waste Management Officer Khandker Millatul Islam.

Though the official said most roads had been cleared by 7 am, work continued until 11 am in some areas.

Work had begun to remove uprooted trees from areas near the Ganabhaban and the Prime Minister’s Offices from around 2 am, said Dhaka North City Corporation Mechanical Department Superintending Engineer Lt Col Saber Sultan told bdnews24.com.

The Dhaka North City Corporation has deployed 10 trucks to help with the removal of the trees, he said. Branches and smaller obstructions will be removed once main roads are clear.