Traffic came to a standstill on Airport Road in the capital on Friday afternoon as a massive tailback was caused by the rush of concert-goers to the Bangladesh Army Stadium where popular Pakistani singer Atif Aslam performed.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional commissioner for traffic Khondokar Nazmul Hasan said that the traffic was not clear as of 8:00pm as many people were standing on the roads to enter the concert venue.
Atif was expected to start his performance shortly after 8:00pm.
鈥楽evere congestion started聽 after 4:00pm as concert attendees gathered at the army stadium and in its surrounding area in queues for the scheduled concert,鈥� said Nazmul.
Traffic police were working to clear the roads, he added.
Music lovers were seen standing in queues along the road from the army stadium to Kakoli area, he said, adding that the traffic was halted on the Airport Road from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kakoli in Banani area due to the concert.
Many people were seen getting off the buses and walking towards their destinations after being stuck for two to three hours.
A motorcycle rider shared his experience of travelling in the severe traffic gridlock in a Facebook group. He said he started his journey from Basundhara for Mirpur at about 5:00pm.
鈥業 have only made it to Kuril after two hours of being stuck in the traffic,鈥� he said.
Expressing his frustration, he said that concerts in Army Stadium should be banned.
鈥業t has been 2.5 hours that we are stuck on the airport road in between Radisson and Railgate. It鈥檚 ridiculous,鈥� another member of the same Facebook group wrote, adding that organisers should be more careful and considerate of commuters.
The crowd that the Pakistani singer鈥檚 performance drew was well expected. But there was no plan from the authorities to manage the crowd without affecting the movement of traffic.
This was the second time this year that Atif Aslam performed in Bangladesh. A huge crowd gathered in the previous concert held in April as well.
