Police make special traffic plan for international trade fair

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have taken up a special traffic plan aiming to reduce gridlock in the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area during the month-long international trade fair set to kick off on the first day of 2020.

The police made the decision to enforce the special traffic plan and tighten security at the fair venue in a meeting on Thursday. 

According to senior police officials, a special instruction will be issued for January 10. The fair may be closed on that day for Bangabandhu's Birth Centenary celebration programme.  

The DMP Traffic Division took the extra measures in areas surrounding the fair venue to maintain traffic discipline. Motorcycling will be strictly prohibited inside the fair premises. During the trade fair, the venue will have many parking spaces, designated entry and exit gates and a road diversion system. 

The DMP will publish a traffic instruction for the upcoming trade fair within a few days. 

Monjur Morshed, additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (traffic-west division) told The Business Standard, "To ease the traffic jam, the DMP traffic division has taken several necessary steps. 

"Police will increase CCTV surveillance in the venue. There will be separate instructions for the holidays."

On condition of anonymity, a traffic official said, "Bijoy Sarani is always busy, and when any special event such as the trade fair is organised, the traffic situation goes out of control. We take such steps every year."

According to the traffic division, the DMP will keep five parking spaces for vehicles arriving at the fair.  

Number 1 parking, will be from VIP gate to main gate. The second parking space will be at the empty area near the second gate. The third parking space will be opposite to the RAB 2 office. 

Government colony field will be used as the fourth parking space and G-type colony field will be used as the fifth parking space.

DMP traffic officials said that visitors using the Mirpur road from the New Market and Dhanmondi areas will have to use the second parking space.  Visitors from Gabtoli and Mohammadpur will have to use the third parking space and visitors from Pallabi, Kazi para and Shewrapara will have to use the fourth and fifth parking lots. 

Visitors approaching the trade fair from the Bangabandhu International Conference Center and Planning Commission will have to use the first parking lot. Visitors arriving at the fair in cars will be able to park their vehicles by paying a fee. 

The officials further said that motorcyclists will have to park their bikes in the PWUD field.

Sources concerned said that the DMP also has instructions for visitors leaving the fair premises.

Visitors leaving from number 1 parking space will have to use the PWUD crossing. They will enter the Begum Rokeya Avenue from beside the Shikkha Prokousholi Bhaban. Visitors leaving from the second parking space will have to use the Gonobhaban school crossing. They will enter Mirpur road through the Agriculture University link road.  

Visitors leaving from the third, fourth and fifth parking spaces will have to use the Shyamoli- Agargaon link road. They will enter Mirpur and Begum Rokeya Avenue through these roads.

There will be separate entry and exit gates for security purpose. Every visitor will walk through metal detector and the archway and will be searched by the law enforcers. Several digital instruction boards will be set up in front of the entry gate.

The venue will have sufficient lighting systems inside the fair and in adjacent areas. There will be ten watchtowers for surveillance. Dog squads and bomb disposal units will also be deployed in the fair premises.

The venue will have two boxes for submitting complaints, a service delivery officer, a fire service substation, and an evacuation route to prevent any untoward incident.

Road diversion

The DMP has urged visitors to use alternative roads near the venue. In the occasion of the trade fair, the traffic department will enforce traffic diversions.

The diversions are: from the BICC crossing to the Ministry of Defense via Gonobhaban Government High School, new road of Suhrawardy Hospital and College Gate to BICC via PWUD crossing and Gonobhaban school, and from Sher-e-Bangla Women's College to Agricultural University gap via Shikkha Prokousholi Bhaban and Parade Square.