Dipan Nandy

They had valid visas, training and work permits.

It seems like Dhaka is on its way to remove all traces of its glorious past as another heritage building is on the brink of destruction, ready to be lost like many other historical structures of the city.

Commuters have been facing transport crisis today (August 6, 2022) as presence of buses was low on Dhaka streets following the sudden increase in the price of all kinds of fuel oil.

The two city corporations of Dhaka have tried many strategies in their war against the city’s mosquitoes to prevent dengue from spreading. From flying drones to detect stagnant water sources to releasing frogs in ponds to destroy mosquitoes and their larvae, they explored so many avenues.

So they thought when they took a group photo commemorating the end of their school life.

Members of minority communities are coming under attacks frequently. About 20,000 criminal cases have been filed in connection with these attacks in the last two decades. 

In just six years, waste bins placed on the roadsides under two city corporations of Dhaka have either gone missing or been damaged, effectively wasting some Tk 10 crore invested on them.

On November 24, 2021, Naeem Hasnat, a student of Notre Dame College, was run over by a Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) garbage truck in Gulistan. It was later known that the truck was being driven by a cleaner in the driver’s absence.

On the day of Eid-ul-Azha, there were small gatherings on the corners of Dhaka’s empty streets. People from lower-income backgrounds were seen sitting on the roads, selling meat collected from households that performed the sacrifice.

As the fear Covid-19 is not as much when compared to the situation last year, online sales of sacrificial animals this Eid has declined. People have been showing more interest in on-the-spot purchases so far this year.

To keep the capital clean during the sacrificial rituals of  Eid-ul-Azha, the two city corporations fixed 535 designated spots to  sacrifice animals during Eid in 2015.

Conventionally, a library is supposed to be a place where people come and read neatly stacked books in peace. However, “Krishaker Batighar” (lighthouse of farmers in translation) breaks this convention and brings the library to the people.

At least 600 buses leaving from Gabtoli terminal to the southwestern districts have not been able to use the Padma Bridge since its inception as their route permits have not been issued yet.

After Padma Bridge’s opening for regular commute, launch owners saw a decline in passengers for the waterways.

“For the last one week, the water has been rising here. It’s increased by, like, two feet. We’re fearing that we may get flooded, at a time when the water in Sylhet is receding.”

Despite its name, no one could call Rasulbagh Children’s Park a place appropriate for children a few years ago. It used to be crowded with those who abused drugs, and a little rain   waterlogged the whole place.

For a long time, locals of the capital’s Basabo, both young and old, had been longing for a park that would fulfil all their leisure needs.

Five years ago, Lalbagh’s Hazi Abdul Alim Playground was on the verge of extinction. It housed a garbage dumping station and those who abused drugs. And so, residents had no option for a recreational spot near their homes.

Even on a good day, five to 10 people visit Dhaka Nagar Jadughar, the one inside Nagar Bhaban of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC). On some days, not even a single visitor can be seen on the premises.

It has been 50 years today since an independent Bangladesh got its national poet.