Staff Correspondent:

The Roads and Highways Department has announced that 217 temporary cattle markets, usually set up alongside various highways for Eid-ul-Azha, will not be allowed this year to prevent severe traffic jams and ensure safe and smooth travel for passengers.

This decision was made during a meeting chaired by Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader at the BRTA building in the capital on Thursday.

The meeting also decided to prioritize the crossing of vehicles carrying sacrificial animals and to keep electronic toll collection (ETC) booths open round the clock at toll plazas.

Additionally, vehicles transporting sacrificial animals are instructed to display banners in front.

Key measures discussed include prioritizing animal transport vehicles at toll plazas, keeping round-the-clock toll collection at nine major bridges, including Karnaphuli, Meghna, Gomti, Payra, Khan Jahan Ali (Rupsa), Charsindur, Shaheed Moyezuddin, Atrai Toll Plaza, and two highway ETC booths on the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway) highway, ensuring ETC booths at Padma Bridge, Bangabandhu Bridge, and Karnaphuli Tunnel remain open 24/7.

The meeting also resolved to complete the repair and renovation of national highways, corridors, and roads damaged by Cyclone Remal at least seven days before Eid.

Additionally, the meeting discussed monitoring potential traffic congestion spots, identifying 155 spots across the country for special attention before and after Eid-ul-Azha.