Traffic jam as overturned van rescue takes 6hrs
Commuters endured a severe traffic gridlock during the morning rush hours on Thursday as it took police nearly six hours to remove a covered van that collided with a bus and flipped over on Dhaka's Bijay Sarani intersection.
The road blockage-led congestion subsequently spread up to Banani, Gulshan, Maghbazar, Uttara and Bijoynagar, as police could rescue the van at 9:45am – at least six hours after the mishap.
Police said the accident took place at around 3:30am Thursday. The bus was heavily damaged, while the loaded covered van overturned blocking the traffic flow.
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Trapped in traffic on the last day of the week, commuters flooded the social media with photos and posts about the gridlock. They criticised the inaction of the traffic police.
Asked why police could not clear the road even after six hours of the mishap, Additional Commissioner (Traffic) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Md Munibur Rahman declined to make any comment.
However, another DMP high official in condition of anonymity said police had nothing to do as they do not have any heavy wrecker. They had to bring a crane from the ongoing metro rail construction site to clear the road.
Besides, there were VIP movements on a nearby route on Thursday morning that also contributed to the traffic standstill, according to police.
"Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina went to the Prime Minister's Office from Ganabhaban at around 10am. The traffic flow returned to normalcy soon after the prime minister's movement," SM Shamim, additional deputy commissioner of Tejgaon Traffic Division, told The Business Standard.
