Narayanganj, Oct 01 (V7N) – A severe traffic jam has paralyzed a 15-kilometer stretch of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, from the Siddhirganj signboard to the Meghna Toll Plaza in Sonargaon, causing immense suffering to passengers on Wednesday morning.

At the same time, vehicle movement was reported slow and intermittent at several points on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway.

According to the Highway Police, the congestion was triggered by the huge number of people leaving the capital for their villages to enjoy the four-day Durga Puja holiday, compounded by vehicles breaking down in at least two places, including Darikandi in Sonargaon.

The jam, which began in the early morning, persisted until noon. Kanchpur Highway Police Station OC Abdul Quader Jilani and Shimrail Highway Police Camp In-Charge TI Julhas Uddin confirmed the situation at 12:30 pm.

Locals and commuters said the journey has become unbearable. On a normal day, it takes half an hour to travel from the signboard to Meghna Toll Plaza, but on Wednesday morning the same trip took three to four hours.

Passenger Ayesha Akhter expressed frustration: “Every year during the Puja holidays we go to our village home. But this year, we got stuck in a traffic jam as soon as we reached the highway. I don’t know when we’ll reach our destination.”

Another passenger, Alam Mia, who was traveling to Sylhet, said: “It usually takes six to seven hours to go to Sylhet. I left this morning and I’m still stuck on the road. I don’t know if I will reach today. This suffering is endless.”

Police said that adverse weather and an unusually high volume of vehicles created the gridlock. By afternoon, vehicle movement had resumed slowly, though pressure on the highway remained high.

END/SMA/AJ