Helemul Alam

Just 10 days after a massive drive by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to reclaim encroached footpaths and roads, many areas across the capital have again been occupied by hawkers.

Ignoring concerns raised by environmentalists, the government has constructed a around 20-foot-wide road through Osmani Udyan, connecting Fulbaria’s Phoenix Road with Abdul Gani Road to facilitate vehicular movement towards the Secretariat.

Bangladesh is likely to face a large-scale dengue outbreak this year unless authorities act swiftly to identify mosquito hotspots, eliminate breeding grounds ahead of the monsoon, and intensify public awareness campaigns, experts have warned.

As part of government directives, Dhaka’s two city corporations are set to take coordinated measures to ease traffic congestion, which include clearing footpaths and roads, introducing semi-automated traffic signals, and bringing rickshaws under a regulated framework.

With millions of residents leaving Dhaka ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, prompted by a seven-day holiday, experts have warned of a possible spike in dengue cases if preventive measures are not taken in time.

On a recent Thursday afternoon, traffic pressure was high at the Sonargaon intersection in Dhaka.

At Abul Hasnat Road in Satraowza, Old Dhaka, the aroma of sizzling paratha and simmering halim drifts through the narrow lanes every afternoon during Ramadan. Inside the century-old Ananda Confectionery, customers crowd the counters, carrying forward a culinary tradition that has endured for more than a hundred years.

Ananda Confectionery, founded in 1920, continues to anchor Old Dhaka’s iftar tables with timeless delicacies