Dhaka: Traffic clogged the city roads on Wednesday as Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) observed its 69th founding anniversary, inflicting sufferings on commuters.

City dwellers experienced nagging traffic congestions on almost all streets as thousands of BCL supporters and activists, who thronged Dhaka University campus from the city’s different parts, paraded the university campus and its adjacent areas, marking the day, reports UNB.

BCL, the associate student body of the ruling Awami League, held a rally at Aparajeyo Bangla of Dhaka University and brought out a procession that paraded through the areas adjacent to the university, including Nilkhet, Shahbagh, Matsya Bhaban and National Press Club.

Vehicles got stranded on the thoroughfares while sometimes they were seen moving at snail’s pace, forcing many commuters to reach their destinations on foot.

Many had to spend 3-4 hours to reach their half-an-hour destinations due to the clogged roads. Many passengers were seen sleeping in buses.

Huge tailbacks were seen in the city’s main points, including Farmgate, Shahbagh, Bijoy Sarani, Mohakhali, Moghbazar, Segunbagicha, Satrasta, Rampura, Malibagh, Badda and New Market.

Many commuters expressed their annoyance at the political culture of staging showdowns blocking roads. They also said the political parties do not consider public sufferings while observing their programmes.

Masum Billah, a resident of Mirpur section-13, said it took him three and half hours to reach Malibagh from Mirpur by a bus due to traffic jam.

‘I got on an Ayat Paribahan bus at 12:30pm in Mirpur Section-10 and reached Malibagh at 4:00pm. I didn’t face such nagging traffic jam in recent months’, he said.

Sexagenarian Abdur Rashid who was coming from Kachukhet to Shahbagh by a Trust Poribahab bus said, ‘Our political parties have no sense of considering public convenience. They never bother about public sufferings while taking programmes.’

Mizanur Rahman, a resident of Malibagh area, said he reached Moghbazar from his residence by rickshaws and on foot in one hour and 15 minutes, a distance of only 10 minutes.

He said he boarded three rickshaws on the way to his destination due to severe traffic jam.