As people leave the capital in droves for their hometowns during the four-day holiday for Durga Puja, severe traffic congestion has hit two major highways—Dhaka–Chattogram and Dhaka–Sylhet. A tailback stretching nearly 19 kilometers formed from Signboard to Meghna Toll Plaza on Wednesday (October 1).
Confirming the situation, Abdul Kader Jilani, in-charge of Kanchpur Highway Police Outpost, said, “Due to bad weather and the long holiday, the volume of vehicles has increased several times compared to normal days. As a result, traffic movement has slowed, causing long jams.”
Passengers reported that the journey, which usually takes 30 minutes from Signboard to Meghna Toll Plaza, was now taking three to four hours.
A female passenger expressed her frustration: “We go to our village every year during the Puja holiday. But this year, the traffic is so terrible that we are worried about when we will finally reach home.”
The situation is no better on the Dhaka–Sylhet Highway. Vehicles are moving slowly in several areas, including Bhairab, Narsingdi, and Araihazar.
A bus passenger said, “Normally, it takes six to seven hours to reach Sylhet. But I started my journey in the morning, and I still haven’t crossed Narsingdi.”
Truck driver Aminul Islam shared the same frustration: “We are standing still for hours. Fuel costs are going up, and it’s becoming very hard to manage pressure from owners.”
Police said maintaining normal traffic flow has become challenging due to the holiday rush and adverse weather. Extra teams have been deployed at several key points. “Despite the efforts, the vehicle pressure is too high. It will take some time to bring the situation under control, but we expect things to improve soon,” said highway police official Abdul Kader Jilani.
