In a modern city, at least 25 per cent of the area should be roads, but Dhaka has only 7 per cent. Meanwhile, the population continues to grow. According to 2016 data, an average of 1,700 people move into Dhaka each day — totaling around 600,000 per year. There is no doubt that, over the nine years since then, the number has increased even more.

In a city where severe traffic congestion is common even on weekends, the chaos caused by multiple events held on the same day became painfully clear to residents on Wednesday, 6 August 2025.

That day, students from seven colleges held a protest from the morning by blocking the road near Science Laboratory. In the afternoon, the central office of a political party in Nayapaltan hosted a “Victory Rally” marking the first anniversary of the July uprising, bringing traffic in surrounding areas to a standstill. Meanwhile, members of the Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (JAGPA) blocked roads in Badda during a protest to lay a seize at the Indian High Commission.