Life in metro turns sour as commuter backlog wreaks havoc
The nationwide Bangla Blockade, during which protestors locked down key intersections of city roads and highways, led to many people opting to take the metro rail in hopes of evading traffic.
But at metro stations in the capital, what greeted them was pure chaos and even more congestion.
Taslima, a student of Brac University, was spotted at Karwan Bazar metro station with a portable fan in her hand.
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"I've been waiting here for almost two hours. I wanted to go to Agargaon. I do support this movement, but I'm not liking this hassle amidst this hot weather and the traffic," she said.
Monir, who works at Motaleb Plaza as a mobile service technician, also expressed his disgruntlement.
"I'm not very interested in this movement. But now it has begun to hamper my business. I have been waiting here for 1.5 hours now at the metro station and I just reached the stairs. I haven't thought of any alternative yet," he said.
Rokibul Islam, a private job holder going to Uttara, was also spotted at Karwan Bazar metro station.
"I have been waiting on these stairs for two hours now. I believe there should be no quota. If I have to wait more hours at this station, I will wait because I support the students."
Mashruha Zabeen, a senior lecturer of East West University, was also waiting at the Karwan Bazar metro station.
"Luckily, I have the MRT Pass so I won't have to wait in lines. But getting in amid this rush won't be easy," she said.
"As a teacher, I support this movement morally. But when it comes to me as a general public, I don't like the inconvenience. If I see there's no change in the system, it will definitely bug me. Then the question arises: what's the point of all this?"
Ranzit Kanti Dey, the ticket machine operator at the Karwan Bazar station, said it was getting difficult to deal with the swelling crowds.
"We shut our south gate because of the blockade, otherwise we wouldn't be able to handle the crowd. On the other hand, usually in the morning we only use one ticket counter and vending machine. But for the past few days, we are operating both ticket selling booths at the same time to control the rush."
He also said people were not listening to the instructions. "Everything here goes by a system, we are trying our best to control it."
Abu Sayeed, a private job holder, had harsher words. "What's the point of having this protest? Nothing will change."
