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At least nine lanterns landed on the metro rail tracks on Tuesday night as people celebrated New Year's Eve.
As metro rail operations remained shut at night and the lanterns were removed early on Wednesday before the trains began to run, they did not cause any disruption, according to the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, or DMTCL.
“Assuming some lanterns (would land on the rail tracks), we were prepared to address it. Four teams worked on the MRT lines from early morning and found nine lanterns. They removed them. Hence, there has been no disruption in train service since this morning,” said DMTCL Managing Director Mohammed Abdur Rouf, as per a bdnews24.com report.
Earlier on Monday, DMTCL cautioned the public not to release lanterns near the metro rail area.
“Metro trains rely on high-capacity electric lines along the Uttara North to Motijheel route. Releasing lanterns or similar objects on December 31 could result in them becoming entangled in these lines, posing a severe risk of accidents, including loss of lives and property,” Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan, deputy general manager (administration) of DMTCL, said in a statement on Monday.
“To mitigate these risks, we are making a special request to refrain from releasing lanterns or similar objects along the metro rail route from Uttara North to Motijheel and nearby areas,” he added.
DMTCL also warned that those responsible for accidents resulting from non-compliance would face punitive measures.
As in previous years, the government has reiterated its directives to avoid releasing lanterns and using fireworks during New Year’s Eve.
On the 31st night last year, lanterns released across Dhaka caused disruptions when tangled with metro rail cables. DMTCL reported removing 38 lanterns from the lines during that time.
Lanterns also sparked fires in several areas of Dhaka last year, disrupting electricity supplies during the celebrations.