"Today has been declared public holiday, so it's better to stay home than to go to work," were the words from a policeman who was directing traffic movements at Shishu Mela crossing of Shyamoli area in the city yesterday morning.
A notice-banner hanged there requested the Mirpur dwellers to take the Mirpur Road instead of the Agargaon-Shishu Mela link road on World Cup match days. The road was put under barricade at around 10 o'clock in the morning and would remain so until the finish of the Bangladesh-India match.
That policeman, who did not want to be named, along with few other colleagues was doing his duty diligently, but what he could not direct was how one could get to Shewrapara or Kazipara in Mirpur.
Mujibur Rahman and her mother came to Dhaka Shishu Hospital to see his niece at around 11:00am. He looked desperate at 12:45pm as he was searching for a rickshaw to take her mother, who is well beyond 60, home in Kazipara.
Khokon and Wasim, both holding yesterday's match tickets, emerged on the road from Agargaon area for a rickshaw, which was a rarity on the day, and had to walk all the way to Agargaon bus stop. They told that they did find a rickshaw near Bangladesh Betar office, but the demand was illogical. That rickshaw-puller asked 120 taka for a ride to Mirpur Thana in Section 2. The rickshaw-puller's argument was he would have to snake to the destination instead of a straight ride on the Rokeya Sarani. So they opted for going to the stadium by bus.
Another man arrived in front of the passport office where policemen intercepted his rickshaw. That man, looked in his late 40s, was holding few furniture and begging that he was a resident of the New Colony just at the other end of the road. He was shown no mercy. He had to carry home his belongings on foot in two-three trips.
These were few common incidents in that area yesterday, the first World Cup match day in Dhaka.
Now the question is who this World Cup is for. Is it for 25,000 car owners who can make their way to the venue without walking? If otherwise, how will commoners like Khokon or Wasim get to the venue?
Or can we put it simple? A grandmother will not visit her ailing granddaughter on match days, because it's World Cup.
