Monday was the ninth day of Ramadan. There was an unusual crowd in the metro that afternoon. On one hand, offices were open, on the other hand, public transport on the roads had been disrupted since morning. As a result, the entire pressure of passengers fell on the metro. Before the offices closed in the afternoon, people were overflowing into the metro compartment from Motijheel to Uttaram. At some stations, other passengers waiting outside were pushing people inside the compartment to make room for people. Even then, there was no room inside the metro, the doors were not closing. Then, an announcement was made and passengers were asked to stand away from the doors. The flow of people heading home from Motijheel started from 3:30 pm. An officer of the main branch of IFIC Bank located in Motijheel said that the strap of his shoulder bag was about to break due to the pressure of the crowd.
A few bank officials of IFIC Bank traveled together. They learned that according to the new Ramadan schedule, bank transactions were stopped at 2:30 pm. Even though the office is open until 4 pm,Traffic congestion in the many people leave the metro station between 3 pm and 3:30 pm to break their fast. They reach Motijheel station by 4 pm. The metro from Motijheel to Uttara starts to get crowded in the afternoon. Most of them are in a hurry to return home and have iftar with their families.
One of them said that they break their fast as they go from Motijheel to Sheorapara after crossing eight stations. The hardship of this crowd is no less than waiting in a bus or public transport in the heat. However, there is one advantage in the metro rail that there is no traffic jam. Whatever hardship there is for the crowd, it does not exceed 30 minutes. It takes a maximum of 35 minutes to get down from Motijheel to the last stop, Uttara, by metro.
On Monday afternoon, while going to Motijheel by metro from Agargaon at 3:30 pm, it was seen that a few patients from BIRDEM and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, whose homes are in Mirpur, had also boarded the compartment reserved for women. Regarding the reason for the reverse journey, they said that it is impossible for patients to board the metro from Motijheel to Uttaramukhi from Shahbagh station. So, they got off as the opposite side was relatively empty. They do not have to get off the metro. This metro will make a U-turn. Then they can return to the opposite direction by sitting in the same place.
One of them is Saleha Begum. She came to see a doctor. Her daughter brought her in a wheelchair. Various roads in the capital were blocked for several hours since Monday morning due to various Traffic congestion in the incidents including a road accident in Banani. Thousands of people also reached their destinations on foot on various flyovers including the elevated expressway. In the afternoon, the entire pressure fell on the metrorail.
The authorities of Dhaka Mass Transit Limited (DMTCL), the operator of the metrorail, said that a new schedule has been set in line with office hours during the month of Ramadan. The first train leaves Motijheel in the morning at 7:30 am. And the last train leaves at 9:40 pm. Meanwhile, the first metro train of the day leaves Uttara North station at 7:10 am. And the last train from there leaves at 9 pm.
DMTCL authorities told Prothom Alo on Monday that the metro has a total of 200 round trips a day at other times. But four trips have been increased for Ramadan. As a result, the metro now makes 204 round trips. The train comes with a break of 8 minutes during peak hours and 10 minutes during off-peak hours. On Monday afternoon, an hour before Iftar, while returning to the Uttaramukhi metro from Motijheel, hundreds of people were seen waiting on the platform, Traffic congestion in the there was no space at all at the door. Still, people were entering. If you can somehow keep your feet, you are guaranteed to return home. After leaving the metro, sitting in compartment number three, it was understood that not a single person got off at the Secretariat, Dhaka University, Shahbagh and Karwan Bazar stops. Instead, a few more people were somehow pushed. The first few people from this compartment got off at Farmgate. Fellow passenger complains about lack of equal rights for women in metro.
Demand for increase in women’s compartments in metro rail
The first compartment of the metro rail is reserved for women. But that compartment is very crowded. Unable to enter the compartment, Asma Jahan, Principal Officer of Agrani Bank’s Motijheel branch, was forced to board the men’s compartment. She complained to Prothom Alo and said that the number of women in the population is not small. But only one of the six compartments in the metro rail is for women. If there are not at least two compartments, it will not work.
Asma Jahan said that usually no one behaves badly in the men’s Traffic congestion in the compartment, but when women board, many passengers get annoyed due to the extra caution. She wants to know why they entered here instead of the women’s compartment? But in the rush to return, no one has any choice but to face the traffic jam. She demanded that at least one more compartment be added for women to reduce their suffering.
