Traffic congestion on Tangail highway ahead of new lockdown

Traffic congestion has increased on the Dhaka-Tangail highway ahead of the new seven-day lockdown.

A heavy traffic jam was observed in the Tangail section of the Dhaka-Tangail Bangabandhu Bridge highway on Monday, said Tangail traffic police Inspector Delwar Hossain. However, the situation improved significantly on Tuesday.

The government announced a lockdown amid rising cases of coronavirus infections and extended it by two days to Apr 13, merging it with a new lockdown that starts on Wednesday.

A shutdown of long-haul bus services has caused immense suffering to passengers. Northbound travellers were spotted using various types of transport, including trucks.

Passengers complained they were being forced to pay extra due to a lack of travel alternatives. Many were not following health guidelines and were seen travelling in overcrowded vehicles.

Yasir Arafat, chief of Elenga police outpost, however, said police were carrying out their duty properly on the highway.