dailycountrytodaybd newspaper,
25-05-2025
Progga Das
Dhaka is the economic, administrative, and cultural
heart of Bangladesh. Every day, millions of people move through this
city for work, healthcare, education, or in search of various civic
services. Yet today, the roads of Dhaka no longer lead to destinations;
instead, they are riddled with congestion, suffering, and endless sighs.
Unregulated protests, blockades, and chaos on the streets are tearing
apart the city's natural rhythm. Citizens of the capital are now going
through what can be described as a "humanitarian crisis," rooted in a
systematic lack of order that injects disorder and distress into every
vein of urban life. While protest is a democratic right, when it becomes
unplanned, uncontrolled, and persistently blocks daily life, it ceases
to be a right and instead turns into a form of social oppression. The
frequent scenes of blockades in Dhaka, from student movements, labor
unrest, political programs, or outrage sparked by administrative failure
, all stem from a grave lack of good governance. And this shortfall is
not due to a single cause but is linked to multiple underlying issues:
the dirty game of vested interests, flawed state planning, lack of
alternative traffic routes, failure to ensure emergency services, and
severe negligence in raising public awareness. As a result, the roads of
Dhaka are plagued by indescribable traffic jams. Protests on the roads
have turned traffic congestion into a daily phenomenon. Working people
are stuck for hours trying to reach their destinations, reducing their
productivity. Emergency services like ambulances and fire trucks are
delayed, putting lives at risk. Students fail to reach their educational
institutions or exam centers on time, disrupting their studies and
damaging their academic prospects. Moreover, these protests severely
affect the economy of Bangladesh. According to the World Bank and local
economists, road chaos and traffic congestion in Dhaka cause an
estimated daily economic loss of around 30 to 45 crore BDT (300 to 450
million), amounting to nearly 10 billion USD annually. Delayed
deliveries during office hours, disruption in export-oriented
industries, wasted working hours, income loss for small businesses,
retail shops, and food vendors, and diminished confidence from
international buyers, all these factors create stagnation in Dhaka’s
economic flow. This economic damage is significantly hindering the
nation’s developmental momentum. Unnecessary protests are also
shattering the city's order and bringing its mobility to a standstill.
Noise pollution is increasing, leading to hearing issues and
environmental imbalance. Fuel wastage due to traffic jams is increasing
air pollution. Social harmony is being undermined as public frustration,
intolerance, blame-shifting, and non-cooperation grow, weakening the
social fabric. This situation poses a threat to the national unity of
any state. It is, therefore, urgently necessary to take effective
measures to curb this disorder. The authorities must allocate designated
spaces for protests and make prior permission mandatory for any kind of
movement or demonstration. To control traffic congestion, alternative
routes must be developed, and separate lanes should be created for
emergency services. Government and non-government platforms must be
established to listen to public demands. But forming these platforms is
not enough, a structured process must be in place to regularly hear
citizens' voices, and if the demands are legitimate and beneficial for
the state, steps must be taken toward their implementation. Strict
policies must be enforced to reduce noise pollution and protect the
environment. To reduce fuel waste, the public transportation system must
be strengthened. Awareness campaigns should be conducted to instill a
culture of peaceful demand-raising within society. The ongoing protests
and chaos on Dhaka’s streets are pushing the lives of its citizens, the
economy, public administration, the environment, and social harmony
toward disaster. Today, street protests are no longer just a tool for
voicing demands; they have become a reflection of systemic
mismanagement. If this culture of irregularity is not stopped, if
unplanned state behavior continues, if the value of human life remains
less important than occupying the streets, then the dream of a proud and
promising Bangladesh will remain just a dream, never to be realized
something completely unacceptable for a free, sovereign, and peaceful
nation. One of the most critical aspects is that if a country’s capital
cannot maintain the minimal flow of its production and supply chain, and
if its roads are repeatedly and unnecessarily blocked, investment,
economic growth, and international confidence will silently collapse.
Therefore, the state must ensure good governance in every sector, road
safety, alternative routes, and uninterrupted emergency services. It
must designate protest areas and listen to protesters to establish a
well-organized and humane urban system. This will reduce public
suffering, restore economic momentum, enhance citizens’ confidence in
the state, and foster trust among protesters as well. Through this,
harmony and order will be established in the country, and the economy
will progress with unstoppable force.
The writer is a student at department of Economics, Eden Mohila College
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