Mirpur Pallabi

Mirpur Pallabi

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Terrible traffic jam chokes Mirpur-10 roundabout

Terrible traffic jam at Mirpur Section-10 roundabout has become a headache for the residents of the Mirpur-Pallabi area, one of the most densely populated areas of the city.

The gridlock that chokes the intersection from all directions almost the whole day is causing immense sufferings to the commuters.

Residents complained that office-goers have to waste a lot of time during office hours. The traffic jam gets even worse from 7:00pm and it lasts till 11:00pm when most people return home from work.

Shamim Ahsan, a resident of West Manipur working with a cellphone company said, “I face the jam when I go to office in the morning every day. I am forced to waste around 45 minutes at the intersection.”

“Buses pick up passengers in a very haphazard manner occupying every side of the intersection, contributing to the jam. Another problem is hawkers sometimes occupy the street as well as footpath,” he added.

Sanjida Akter, a student of Eden College living near Pallabi Police Station, said she faces trouble while going back home in the evening.

“The jam stretches from Kazipara to Mirpur Section-10 roundabout in the evening. Vehicles move at a snail's pace. It becomes unbearable as I am so near my home yet it takes around an hour to get home from the intersection.”

The Section-10 intersection is the main entry point to Mirpur-Pallabi area. Mirpur covers about 53.58 sq km area while Pallabi is situated on 17 sq km area. Apart from accommodating residential houses, the area has also become a major commercial district and garment industry belt.

Around 15 lakh people living in the areas including Senpara Parbata, Pirerbagh, East and West Monipur, Nam Colony, Benaroshi Palli, Stadium Para, Rupnagar, Milk Vita, Duaripara, Pallabi, Pallabi extension, Kazipara and Kafrul are seriously affected by the jam.

Mofiz Uddin Ahmed, DC traffic (West) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said every intersection of the city is troublesome for traffic department but in Mirpur-10 many factors contribute to a serious congestion.

He mentioned that haphazardly parked public buses and rickshaws as well as hawkers swarming the area are two major reasons. Another reason is several waste containers set up on the street near the intersection.

“It is definitely not the right place to set up waste bins. Every evening community waste collectors from different areas dispose of waste in the dumpsters from their vans occupying a major part of the street,” he said.

“The intersection is off limits to rickshaws. So rickshaws coming from Senpara Parbata regularly take the wrong side of the street going against the traffic flow in the one-way road, which is another major reason,” he added.

Moreover, CNG-run vehicles queue up in the street for refilling by gas stations located near the intersection, causing more congestion.

Mainuddin, executive engineer, zone 7 of Dhaka City Corporation, said, “DCC is planning to set up a mini waste-transfer station near Section-10 roundabout. A place has been selected. The dumpsters will be removed from the street as soon as the waster transfer station is built.”

Islam however said that the selected spot is currently occupied illegally by some fruit vendors. Steps have been taken to evict them, he said.

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