Barlekha: NISCHA and administration's joint road programme continues for sixth straight day to ease Durga festival suffering
Barlekha correspondent: The local administration and the Barlekha Upazila branch of the national social-volunteer organisation 'Nirapad Sarak Chai' (NISCHA) have taken to the roads with a special programme to keep the travel of homebound people and visitors safe, smooth and free of traffic congestion during the Sharodiya Durga festival.
The joint awareness and traffic-control programme has been running on the roads for six consecutive days, from the day before Maha Shashthi of Durga Puja through Nabami on Tuesday (20 October), and the special activities will continue through Bijoya Dashami tomorrow and the period that follows.
On-the-spot observation showed a team of NISCHA volunteers and local administration officials working together to relieve the public suffering and traffic jams caused by extra vehicle pressure and crowds of visitors on festival days. At important intersections and on roads adjoining puja mandaps, NISCHA workers are assisting the traffic police and law-enforcement personnel with vehicle movement. At the same time, the administration's mobile court and monitoring team are active to stop the charging of extra fares and to control the movement of unfit vehicles.
On the matter, Tahmid Ishad Ripon, president of the Barlekha Upazila branch of Nirapad Sarak Chai (NISCHA), said, "During the Durga festival, people's movement on the roads increases a lot. Like every year, this year too we have decided to stay in the field for seven consecutive days and beyond, in coordination with the administration, to reduce the suffering of ordinary people and prevent road accidents. Alongside making drivers and pedestrians aware of obeying traffic laws, we are working to keep the traffic situation around the mandaps normal."
Traffic Sergeant (acting) Billal Hossain said, "Ensuring the smooth travel of ordinary people during the Puja is our priority. This volunteer initiative of NISCHA to maintain discipline on the roads and avoid any kind of public suffering is highly commendable. I hope that through the joint efforts of the administration and NISCHA, the road communication system will remain completely normal and safe during the festival days."
During the programme, leaflets on road safety were distributed among ordinary passengers and drivers travelling on the roads. Officials of NISCHA and the local administration have confirmed that the joint activities will continue until the day after Bijoya Dashami so that people can travel in the festive atmosphere without any untoward incident.
Those taking part in the programme include Traffic Sergeant (acting) Billal Hossain, traffic police members Ruhul Amin, Md Sarwar Ahmad and Mahbub Ahmad, NISCHA president Tahmid Ishad Ripon, vice-president Golam Kibria, organising secretary Jomir Uddin, finance secretary Ehsan Ahmad, executive members Farhad Ahmad, Jahangir Alam and Rahel Ahmad, and municipal traffic members Nurul Islam, Rakib Ahmad and Adam Ali, among others.
