A severe 50-kilometre traffic gridlock on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway has left more than 20,000 passengers stranded and triggered warnings of massive economic losses, with transport leaders estimating the potential financial damage at between Tk1,000 crore and Tk 2,000 crore.
The tailback, which brought the country’s key economic corridor to a standstill, continued for nearly 32 hours from 8am on Friday until 5pm on Saturday. The congestion stretched from Sonargaon in Narayanganj to Eliotganj in Daudkandi upazila of Cumilla.
Repair sparks massive congestion
According to Highway Police sources, the congestion began at around 8am on Friday after the Roads and Highways Department started repair work on the Dhaka-bound lane at Ashriarchar in Sonargaon upazila.
The repair work reduced traffic movement to a single lane, causing vehicles to pile up quickly.
The situation worsened due to rain-damaged sections of the highway, particularly in Cumilla’s Porsha area, where vehicles moved at a snail’s pace. The increased flow of weekend holiday traffic further aggravated the situation.
Passengers suffer, ambulance patient dies
Passengers and drivers faced extreme hardship amid sweltering heat during the prolonged gridlock.
An estimated 1,600 passenger buses around 800 on each side of the highway were trapped in the congestion. Kafil Uddin Ahmed, President of the Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, said around 20,000 passengers were affected, assuming buses were operating at 50 per cent capacity.
In a tragic incident, a heart patient died in an ambulance after being stuck in the traffic jam for four hours.
The patient’s relatives left Feni at around 8pm on Friday and reached Daudkandi at about 11pm. However, the ambulance could not move through the congestion, and the patient died at around 3:00am on Saturday.
Jahidul Islam, a passenger travelling from Feni to Dhaka, said the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway was returning to its previous state of chaos.
He criticised the authorities for carrying out major repair work during a holiday period and questioned who would compensate passengers for the additional eight hours added to their journey.
Trade and supply chains face losses
The gridlock stranded thousands of trucks, covered vans and prime movers, raising concerns over damage to perishable goods, including vegetables and fruits.
Industrial raw materials, export consignments and emergency supplies failed to reach Dhaka and Chittagong Port on schedule, increasing the risk of significant business losses.
Transport owners estimated that between 5,000 and 20,000 goods-carrying vehicles were trapped in the congestion.
Considering a minimum direct transport loss of Tk10,000 per vehicle, the immediate financial loss stands between Tk5 crore and Tk20 crore.
However, Chowdhury Jafar Ahmad, Secretary General of the Bangladesh Covered Van-Truck-Prime Mover Goods Transport Owners Association, said this was only an initial estimate.
He said the actual losses would be much higher after accounting for additional fuel consumption, wages of drivers and helpers, cancelled trips, vehicle operating costs, delayed deliveries and demurrage charges at ports and off-docks.
Transport leaders seek compensation
Kafil Uddin Ahmed and Chowdhury Jafar Ahmad urged the government to take immediate steps to support affected transport owners.
They demanded: A quick survey to determine the number of affected vehicles and assess the actual financial losses; Immediate compensation of at least Tk10,000 for each affected vehicle; A separate assessment of indirect losses caused to Chittagong Port and the national supply chain.
Ahmed warned that unless traffic volume, alternative routes and proper traffic management are considered before starting repair work on such an important economic route, similar disruptions could lead to even greater economic losses in the future.
Traffic situation improves
Prem Dash Roy, officer-in-charge of Daudkandi Highway Police Station, told the TIMES of Bangladesh that although repair work initially disrupted traffic movement, the Daudkandi section was cleared after 5pm on Saturday.
However, some congestion remained in Bhabarchar, Kanchpur and Munshiganj areas.
Attempts were made to contact Md Shahe Arefin, executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department’s Chittagong Division, to know when the remaining problems would be fully resolved, but he did not respond to repeated phone calls.
