DHAKA Bangladesh authorities have deployed army personnel to help with traffic control on the streets of the capital Dhaka in the hope that military precision will reduce congestion.

Home Minister Shamsul Haq Tuku said on Tuesday that military police were being used as a back-up to ordinary traffic officers as the already jammed streets were facing meltdown ahead of two major religious festivals.

“The army men have been deployed to help police get rid of traffic jams in Dhaka city,” a statement from the home ministry said. Traffic worsens in Bangladesh ahead of every Eid al-Fitr, which occurs next Monday or Tuesday.

This year the congestion is even worse because Eid al-Fitr falls close to Durgapuja, the biggest Hindu festival, celebrated by 30 million people in Bangladesh.

Mohammad Rahamatullah, an ex-UN transport expert, said bringing in the army was a clever tactic by the government. “People in Bangladesh are not afraid of traffic police, but they fear the military,” he said.—AFP