Amid the daylong voting in the 12th parliamentary election held on Sunday, the streets in Dhaka city were almost empty which is unusual on a normal working day.
Vehicular movement on the city streets was very thin due to restrictions on motorbikes, taxicabs, pickups, microbuses and trucks and the 48-hour hartal called by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) from Saturday morning to Monday morning.
Few cars carrying the members of media or law enforcement agencies were seen speeding on the roads, but all the roads were completely void. Passengers were seen waiting in some areas.
Many voters had already left the capital city for their village homes to cast their votes in the national election as Friday and Saturday were weekends and Election Day was a general holiday. As a result, a festive mood was prevailing in Dhaka city.
The main roads in the capital, including those in Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Shahbagh, Kakrail, Paltan, Motijheel, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Banani, Rampura, Badda, Jatrabari and Jurain, were almost empty. The roads in Moghbazar, Malibagh, Mouchak and Shantinagar areas were also very empty.
Law enforcement agencies, including the Armed Forces and Board Guard Bangladesh, were patrolling the roads to maintain law and order and ensure a peaceful election process.
Residents resorted to walking or using rickshaws to reach their nearest polling centres, with even the number of rickshaws available falling short of the usual count.
Although the tea shops remained open on different lanes, there was less traffic. No long distance bus left from Mohakhali, Sayedabad and Gabtali terminals.
While shopping malls, markets and shops on the main roads remained shuttered, some grocery stores in residential areas did open their doors to the public.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) said last Monday that the Election Commission banned the movement of motorcycles across the country for 72 hours before and after the 12th national polls.
At the same time, movement of taxicabs, pickups, microbuses and trucks was also banned from midnight on Saturday till 12 midnight on Sunday. Bike movement was banned from Friday (January 5) midnight until Monday (January 8) midnight, the day after polling.
Nowhere in the city was the ever-familiar sound of cars, no traffic jams. There was hardly any movement of people. Most of shops were also closed, including the market. Streets in Dhaka city were completely empty.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), in a bid to ensure a fair and peaceful election, had imposed restrictions on vehicular movement.
According to a media release by DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, these restrictions affected taxis, pickup trucks, microbuses, and trucks within the Dhaka metropolitan area from midnight on Saturday until the end of Sunday.
