A severe traffic jam developed on Tuesday morning at the Chandra intersection of the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in Kaliakair, Gazipur. The congestion was triggered by a surge of homebound travelers taking advantage of a four-day holiday declared ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election. Long lines of buses, trucks, private cars, and motorcycles stretched across the area, resembling the heavy traffic typically seen during Eid holidays.

Local sources said the government declared the holiday to facilitate travel for voters and families returning to their hometowns. Some travelers were heading home to cast their votes, while others were visiting relatives. Passengers complained that several transport operators were charging inflated fares, with ticket prices rising from the usual 200 taka to as high as 500 taka.

Kona Bari Naojor Highway Police Officer-in-Charge Saugat Hossain stated that highway and traffic police were jointly working to ease the congestion. He added that extra police had been deployed to maintain normal traffic flow and that legal action would be taken against transport companies found overcharging passengers.