Severe traffic jam brought traffic to a standstill on the Rampura- Notun Bazar road in the capital on Thursday (30 July) morning after two trucks broke down in the Meradia area, causing major disruption for thousands of office-bound commuters.

According to traffic police, heavy rain around 4:00am left parts of the road submerged, causing the two trucks to become stranded in the flooded section. As a result, long tailbacks stretched from New Bazar through Badda and Meradia to Rampura.

Hundreds of buses, private cars, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and motorcycles remained stuck for hours. After being stranded for a prolonged period, many passengers got off their buses and continued their journeys on foot despite the rain.

Commuters heading to offices, educational institutions and other urgent destinations expressed frustration over the delays and feared they would not reach on time. Women, children, elderly passengers and the sick were among the worst affected.

Due to the gridlock, several public buses, including Alif and Boishakhi services operating between Notun Bazar and Badda Link Road, were diverted via Gulshan-2, increasing traffic pressure on the alternative route. However, traffic remained normal on the Rampura-Kuril Bishwaroad stretch.

Assistant Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Traffic Division (Rampura Zone), Asaduzzaman, said one of the two broken-down trucks had already been removed, while efforts were underway to clear the other.

“The breakdown of the two trucks disrupted traffic movement on that section of the road, and the congestion spread from Notun Bazar to Rampura,” he said.