Home ›› 02 Jan 2023 ›› News
The authorities halted the operation of the Dhaka metro rail on the first day of 2023 for two hours as doused sky lanterns fell on the overhead electricity lines.
Metro rail service on Sunday resumed from 10:10am after removing the sky lanterns from the wires, said officials of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd (DMTCL). The lanterns were released from across the city on the previous night by residents as part of New Year celebration.
The operation of metro rail was halted on safety grounds, said DMTCL Managing Director MAN Siddique, adding that the lanterns did not cause any damage to the electric lines.
According to DMTCL sources, an empty train was on its way to Agargaron from Uttara in the morning to pick up passengers from the former station. But the train operator noticed some lanterns were stuck on the lines in the Mirpur area.
As the trains get electricity from the line to operate, they did not take a risk and stopped it midway to avoid an accident, said the source.
They switched off the electricity line and workers removed the lanterns to clear the way, added the source.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) had banned firecrackers and lanterns on the occasion of the New Year
However, the sound of firecrackers shook Dhaka in the first hours of the New Year, breaching the DMP’s instruction. City dwellers also flew hundreds of lanterns as well to celebrate the coming of the New Year.
