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A nearly 40-kilometre-long traffic jam has developed on the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway, stretching from Ashariarchar in Sonargaon, Narayanganj, to Elliotganj in Daudkandi, Cumilla.
The congestion began after road repair work started on the Dhaka-bound lane at Ashariarchar around 8am on Friday. As of 8am Saturday, severe congestion was still reported on the Dhaka-bound lane.
The traffic jam has caused immense suffering for passengers and drivers. Among those affected, a patient died after the ambulance carrying her to Dhaka became stuck in the congestion. The deceased, identified as Amirunnesa, was a resident of Pranbhagabatipur village in Chandraganj upazila of Lakshmipur.
Talking to journalists, a relative of the patient said that Amirunnesa suffered a heart attack on Friday. Her relatives left for Dhaka by ambulance around 8pm. They reached Daudkandi around 11pm, but the vehicle could not move further because of the traffic jam. After remaining stuck in the congestion for four hours, she died around 3am.
Several passengers of Mujahid Paribahan, which operates from Chattogram to Bagerhat in Khulna, also described their ordeal. They said they left Chattogram for Bagerhat in the evening and became stuck in traffic at Elliotganj in Daudkandi around 2:30am. By 8am Saturday, they had managed to travel only about 10 kilometres, reaching Amirabad in Daudkandi.
The driver of a bus travelling from Dhaka to Hajiganj in Chandpur, said the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway is one of the busiest highways in the country and should therefore remain under constant administrative supervision.
“Women, children and elderly passengers are suffering terribly, sitting and struggling inside buses in this intense heat,” he said.
Mohammad Shamim, inspector-in-charge of the Bhaberchar Highway Police Outpost in Gazaria, Munshiganj, said the traffic jam was caused by the road repair work that began at 8am Friday on the Dhaka-bound lane at Ashariarchar in Sonargaon.
He said the congestion was still continuing. Highway police were carrying out their duties to ease the suffering of drivers and passengers amid the extreme heat, he added.
