The DCC cleared around 500 bus counters and passenger sheds in March across the city. Most of these counters had been set up on pavements. Some 1800 buses belonging to 36 companies had erected those ticket counters and sheds. But following the eviction drive, commuters are left with no protection from rain. At present, the bus operators are selling tickets under makeshift arrangements.

"During the last couple of months, we had to stand under the scorching sun. Now we are destined to get wet whenever there is rain because there are no shelters," said Habib, a regular bus passenger from Uttara.

Commuters and bus operators are highly critical of the DCC's eviction drive as the corporation has not offered any alternatives. Owners of the bus companies have met the authorities several times to solve the problem. A committee has also been formed with officials of the communication ministry, the DCC and representatives from bus companies but no decisions have been taken yet.

DCC officials said that they had evicted the ticket counters for the sake of the city's beauty as the counters were illegally established on footpaths creating hazard for pedestrians.

"Many pedestrians complained to us that they could not walk on the footpaths because of the bus counters," said DCC mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka. The general public's view however is that the DCC could have shown that it had genuine good intention by providing alternative counters and especially passenger sheds.

Officials of the Association of Bus Companies (ABC) said that when the beautification programme for the SAARC conference was on, the DCC had sent a notice to bus operators asking them to paint the counters and sheds. After the bus companies had complied with the DCC's request, suddenly the eviction drive was launched. ABC officials said the money spent on renovating and beautifying the counters and sheds had gone to complete waste.

Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury, joint convener of ABC said that they were still prepared to cooperate financially if the DCC established passenger sheds. "During the rainy season passengers will wait under the open sky and get wet. It is the DCC's duty to provide them with protection from rain. If the DCC wants to build passenger sheds, we are ready to provide financial support," said Chowdhury.