Offices, banks reopen for four hours ; Commuters suffer amid traffic gridlock

Online Desk :  Government and private offices including banks reopened on a limited scale on Wednesday after a five-day break including three days of general holidays and cut in curfew time clamped across the country on Friday to contain the widespread violence amid students’ protests over the quota reformation in public service. Although the number of private vehicles and public buses plying the roads was a bit small in the early morning the city took almost a normal look with increased traffic around 10 am, movement of people and reopening of shops and offices. Heavy traffic congestion were seen in capital's...

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Online Desk :  Government and private offices including banks reopened on a limited scale on Wednesday after a five-day break including three days of general holidays and cut in curfew time clamped across the country on Friday to contain the widespread violence amid students’ protests over the quota reformation in public service. Although the number of private vehicles and public buses plying the roads was a bit small in the early morning the city took almost a normal look with increased traffic around 10 am, movement of people and reopening of shops and offices. Heavy traffic congestion were seen in capital’s Farmgate, Mirpur, Sayedabad, Motijheel, Kalyanpur, Banani, Tejgaon, Mohakhali and other roads in the morning. Traffic congestion brought the streets of Dhaka to a standstill in the morning.

Office-going passengers faced trouble in the morning due to lack of public transport and traffic congestion. Many were unable to reach their workplaces on time due to delay in getting vehicles and traffic congestion. Raihan Rahman, an employee of a private organization, said,” I hired an CNG auto-rickshaw from Mohakhali to reach my Moghbazar office and I could not reach office on time due to traffic gridlock and barricades of law enforces at various points.” Zahid Hossain, an employee of a media outlet, said,” It took me 40 minutes to reach my Mouchak office from Malibagh due to huge traffic congestion.”

On Tuesday, the government announced that the offices will remain open from 11am to 3 pm on Wednesday and Thursday and the curfew would continue in Dhaka and elsewhere until the situation improves. Besides, broadband internet services were restored partially in some places on Tuesday night, brining relief to people whose lives and businesses were severely affected by internet blackout since Thursday. However, broadband internet users said they were unable to use social media. State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and ICT Zunaid Ahmad Palak on Tuesday said broadband internet services will be restored in government institutions, banks, media, power and gas supply offices on priority basis at night. The government relaxed the ongoing curfew in Dhaka for seven hours from 10 am today, aiming to bring normalcy in public life. Besides, production in garment factories resumed after five days of suspension and huge business losses. However, the educational intuitions in the country remained closed since July 16.