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Traffic snarls are not new to Bangladesh, but the gridlock seems to be scaling new highs with each passing day -- commuting even on a national holiday has now become a nightmare.
In Gazipur, for instance, with the country in the grip of the Eid rush, commuters heading home were trapped in monster traffic snarls on the two national highways on Sunday -- a public holiday on account of May Day.
A 5km tailback was witnessed on both the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways in Gazipur in the morning due to a mad rush of vehicles carrying home-bound people ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Also read: 15km tailback on west of Bangabandhu Bridge amid Eid rush
Chandona intersection and Chandra areas of Gazipur district were the worst hit.
Abdullah Al Mamun, deputy commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police, said, “We have been working relentlessly to make the home-bound journey people a comfortable one for the past week."
"The early closure of a number of garment factories for Eid triggered Sunday's snarls," he added.
A reality check by UNB revealed that both the carriageways of the two highways are gridlocked, with tailbacks stretching as far as 5km.
Also read: Barishal ferry terminal brim with Eid rush
Moreover, lack of public transport vehicles like buses and launches forced many to hire microbuses, CNG auto-rickshaws and even pickup trucks to reach their destination.