Dhaka wears deserted look amid lockdown, rains, weekly holiday

On the second day of the strict lockdown, the number of people and vehicles on the streets in the capital was very low due to rains and the weekly holiday of Saturday.

A very few people were found outside wandering unnecessarily. Those who came out for emergency needs followed the hygiene rules. 

Sergeant Md Ujjal Hossain at Tejgaon BG Press check post said, "Normally, there is heavy traffic in this area of ​​Tejgaon but the traffic was light on Saturday due to the weekly holiday and rain. Besides, many people were sued for breaching lockdown instructions on Friday. Maybe, people did not go out for fear of that."

He added that most of the people went out for medical treatment, emigration, Covid-19 vaccination and other emergencies. There was not much unnecessary wandering.

Md Shihab Bahadur Tanmoy, sub-inspector of Khilgaon police station, said the situation on Saturday was much better than any other lockdown. Those who came out in need wore masks.

"Three cases have been filed here since morning and wrecker bills have been issued for five, which is very insignificant compared to other days," he added.

Mohaiminul Hasan, sub-inspector of Ramna police station and in-charge of Mouchak check post, said only one motorcycle was fined since morning on Saturday.

DMP Sergeant Morshedul Alam, who is in charge of the Maghbazar check post, said, "Most of the people have gone out for treatment. Some motorcycles and a private car went out unnecessarily some of whom were detained for a while and others were fined."

"However, the number of rickshaws has increased a lot on the roads. Overall, the lockdown is going well. Awareness has also increased among the people," he added.

According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Police on Saturday arrested 383 persons for violating lockdown restrictions while DMP's mobile courts fined 137 people Tk95,230 for the same reason.

Meanwhile the traffic division of the DMP fined 441 vehicles Tk10,83,000 on the day. 

Mohammad Mohiuddin, inspector (investigation) of Hatirjheel police station who was in charge of the check post at the BFDC junction in Tejgaon, said there were no pressure of vehicles or people on the road on Saturday, although there were some pressure of people – who returned to the capital after celebrating the Eid at their native towns or villages – on the previous day.