<i>DMP dedicates traffic lane for Bashundhara </i>
A large portion of Panthapath road up to Sonargaon Hotel intersection separated by concrete road dividers exclusively for Bashundhara City, a shopping mall in the city. This move has caused immense suffering to commuters who used the lane to turn left towards Farmgate as now they have to wait for an additional 30 to 50 minutes at the intersection's traffic signal.Photo: STAR
In a surprise move, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has allowed Bashundhara City, a shopping mall, to use a big portion of one lane of Panthapath road on the side of the mall up to Sonargaon Hotel intersection. This move has caused immense suffering to the drivers and passengers who used the lane to turn left towards Farmgate, as it now takes an additional 30-50 minutes. Usually the vehicles from Mirpur Road or Green Road could use the lane's extreme left portion to go to Farmgate, but the portion has been kept reserved for the use of shoppers of Bashundhara since the beginning of Ramadan. Additional Deputy Commissioner (traffic-west) Prabir Kumar Roy told The Daily Star on Wednesday that the portion has been separated jointly by the security personnel of Bashundhara and DMP's traffic department. The initiative has been taken to ease traffic congestion on the road and not to give any advantage to Bashundhara, he said. Replying to a question, Probir Kumar said a small number of vehicles, which turn left, will be the sufferers, but a huge number of vehicles will benefit from it. He added that they have stopped other vehicles from using the lane on an experimental basis. Jahurul Alam, an employee of Akiz Group who used to use the lane, said he spent 40 minutes additionally to cross the short distance from Bashundhara City to Sonargaon intersection due to blockade of the portion though it usually took only five minutes earlier. "As a normal commuter why I shall enter the shopping complex to use the road when I am not a shopper at Bashundhara City," he asked. Abu Taher, a driver of an office in UTC building near Bashundhara City, said they are suffering a lot, as they are not allowed to drive vehicle directly towards their office using the lane in front of it. About the comment of the traffic department, Mohammad Abu Tayeb, spokesman of Bashundhara Group, said he does not know about the matter. Asked for his comment about dedicating the portion of the lane only for the vehicles that enter Bashundara city, Tayeb said he knows nothing about that too.
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