The government has directed all supermarkets, malls and shops of Dhaka city to adopt precautionary measures to stop the spread of Covid-19. However, the markets are struggling to maintain proper health and safety measures as there are large crowds of people shopping before Eid-ul-Fitr.
It was quite a pleasant surprise for Kawser Alam when he found Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) workers clearing the dumped waste in front of his house, a day after he lodged a complaint through an app called “Sobar Dhaka”.
Dhaka residents usually come across footpaths and roads being blocked by vendors and parked vehicles. As a result, they may have to jaywalk or manoeuvre their vehicles through the obstacles, hoping that one day authorities will clear the path.
Yesterday was the last day of this year’s Ekushey Boimela. Marked by a delayed start and a lockdown announcement midway, the book fair -- originally scheduled to end on April 14 -- ended two days earlier due to the surge in Covid-19 cases across the country.
To control dust pollution in the capital and maintain air quality, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) have begun operating two truck-mounted
As soon as the gate of Amar Ekushey book fair opened at 3pm yesterday, visitors started coming in. Among lone visitors and groups, there were students, couples, families university students, couples and families joining in the festivity of the fair.
On the fifth day of the book fair, the crowd was a little relaxed at the Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday.
One of the key attractions of Amar Ekushey book fair is the release of innumerable new books. Many wait for a whole year to satiate their hunger for newly released material, and the fair fulfils their desire in the form of novels, poetry, fiction and sci-fi.
Although a little late, the Amar Ekushey book fair is taking place again after a year. The delay was obvious -- like everything else, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the Boimela too.
When private university student Abrar Ahmed Chowdhury died in a tragic road accident on March 19, 2019 in front of Jamuna Future Park on
Kuril flyover and its adjacent areas in the capital have been left in darkness for months, putting commuters at risk of accidents or falling victim to criminal activities.
Nandita Ritchil and Natasha Manda, two young volunteers with their hands full of books, were talking with attendees with great enthusiasm at a book fair in the capital’s Nadda.
Right next to the Gulshan-2 intersection, one of the most upscale commercial areas in the capital, a shabby-looking “kitchen market” under the city corporation’s custody is running with a plethora of rule violations and questionable management, literally under the authority’s nose.
With the mosquito problem of Dhaka becoming more and more menacing, residents are having to strengthen their defences against the insects, and many complain that the city corporations’ measures to control mosquitoes are not effective in their areas.
Before reaching her teen years, Borsha had to leave her parents’ house.
Around 15 months after the inauguration of Dhaka North City Corporation’s first dedicated bicycle lane in Agargaon, the initial optimism of cyclists surrounding the lanes is waning due to illegal occupation and lack of integrated networks.
The queue at Bangladesh National Museum was a little unusual this Friday. Things were getting a bit chaotic too. The issue laid with some who were being refused to enter. Waiting at the back of the line for a long time, they couldn’t believe they were being turned back.
Christmas, the biggest religious festival of the Christian community, is back again after a year-long wait, with the same exuberance among the community. Billions across the globe will observe the day, and Bangladeshi Christians will join in on the celebration as well.
Rock band Bleeding for Survival is the first ever band from Garo community-- an indigenous community of Bangladesh-- to be featured on the leading music streaming platform, GAAN app.
Reading about Bangladesh’s rich history gives us an understanding about the people’s struggles, and helps us realise and value their sacrifices.
People holding out their hands to stop speedy vehicles, buses stopping randomly to take in passengers, cars zooming past pedestrians crossing the road -- this is the chaotic scenario at the road crossing in front of Brac University at the capital’s Mohakhali.
Despite having a clear guideline issued from the Local Government Division, entrepreneurs under the government’s a2i programme are not getting proper support due to lack of coordination with ward councillors, they alleged.
Community centres are supposed to be a place where people of a neighbourhood gather, socialise and hold cultural and social events.
The two Dhaka city corporations have the mandate of keeping a check on food safety, but have been doing next to nothing to this end for several years.
It had nearly been an hour, but Khadiza Khatun was still moving from vendor to vendor with her empty bazaar bag in Tejgaon kitchen market.
After six months of staying indoors due to the coronavirus fallout, 56-year-old Aleya Akter is back with her weighing machine on the pavement right across a Badda supermarket.
Mostafa Kamal (45) has been working as an ambulance driver for nearly 10 years. In the past, he took two to three calls per day, which would be enough to meet his family’s needs.
In the middle of March, when Covid-19 started sweeping across the nation, Mithun Raksam, a poet and publisher from the Garo community, got a heart-breaking phone call from an acquaintance.
A Facebook post with the picture of a Garo woman made by a maid-providing agency has caused outrage among social media users, including people from the ethnic minority community.
Sixty-four-year-old Habibur Rahman came to Dhaka from Narsingdi in 1988. For the past 32 years, he has been selling books around the city, and now, to the elderly man’s amazement, he is selling books online with the help of his son.
Bobita Dalboth was supposed to stay busy with customers during this time of the year. Pre-Eid is the most profitable time for beauticians like her. On the busiest days, clients would have to line up and wait for their turn to get some last minute grooming done.
Mayor-elect Atiqul Islam of Dhaka North City Corporation hasn’t taken over office yet, and the city is already undergoing a huge challenge in the form of a coronavirus outbreak. The Daily Star spoke to Atiqul recently about his work during the Covid-19 crisis, as well as plans for the city.
As the clock hits 12:30pm, a group of people can be seen busily organising meal-plates at the Mazaa restaurant in front of Mohammadpur Tajmahal Road’s Krishi Market.
With the shutdown in place to contain the spread of coronavirus, many ongoing development works of the two Dhaka city corporations have come to a standstill.
After a tiring session of painting a nearby store, labourer Shaheen Mia finds the newly set up public hand-washing station, and he along with his co-worker grabs the bar of soap and scrubs away all dirt and grime, and possibly the coronavirus.
Empty roads, shuttered shops and few people in sight, the effects of the coronavirus can be seen everywhere across the country. And yet, even during these times, work must carry on for many residents of the city.
As Covid-19 has everyone worried across the country, people are compelled to take precautionary measures, such as frequently washing hands and using hand sanitisers to ward off the highly contagious disease.
With the arrival of novel coronavirus striking fear in the hearts of many, misinformation circulated through social media and leaflets by a number of government bodies has caused worries for pet owners in the capital, as some landlords have notified tenants to get rid of their pets or vacate the house.
Development work is an inseparable part of urbanisation. It is inevitable that sometimes even the busiest footpaths will have to be blocked, for the sake of maintaining the asphalt or repairing the utility lines that run underneath.
Ekushey book fair has become a symbol of our national identity. The overwhelming presence of not just literary enthusiasts but also writers, poets and publishers at Bangla Academy and Suhrawardy Udyan speaks volumes about the love for books in our hearts.
Although spring sky took a shade of uncharacteristic gloom yesterday, it was no match for last-minute shoppers, who turned out in droves at Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela.
The walkway along the Shahjadpur canal that goes through in Baddda and Shahjadpur has become a risky commute for locals due to a lack of safety railings along it, leaving pedestrians -- especially children -- at a risk of falling in.
They say, this land has been my home for thousands of years
The government move to ensure children from ethnic communities are given early childhood education in their mother tongue is apparently falling flat due to a lack of teachers with a good command of these languages.
In this era of connectivity, digital technology has a deep impact on book publishing and the way people read.
Dhaka is known for its festivities. Be it Eid, Puja, or Pahela Baishakh celebrations, there’s at least a few occasions that are celebrated en masse every month.
Among the innumerable stalls and pavilions at this year’s Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela, you might spot an unusual stall where individuals in uniform are giving instructions about what to do in case of burn injuries.
While literary fiction remains the heavyweight at Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela, a loyal fan base has kept poetry well and truly alive at the month-long book fair.
After an exhausting month of trade fair and city polls, the book fair got off to a slow start on February 2. But as the first weekend of the month rolled around, city dwellers thronged the fair, re-energised and ready to indulge in literature.
Amid concerns over the massive amount of laminated election posters causing serious environmental damage, a youth organisation has undertaken initiatives to recycle the material to help underprivileged children.
Awami League mayor candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Atiqul Islam spent a busy day yesterday, meeting party members and preparing for the election.
There will be monthly meetings between ward councillors and locals in each area every month if he is elected, so that residents can hold the councillor responsible for their work and also can talk about their problems, Awami League DNCC mayor candidate Atiqul Islam said yesterday.
Even after the High Court order to immediately stop production and use of laminated city polls campaign posters, they are still seen across the capital.
Supporters of Awami League mayor candidate Atiqul Islam went around the city yesterday, asking people to vote for Boat in the upcoming mayor election.
As the capital is abuzz with campaigns for the city corporation polls, candidates are found using loudspeakers during the hours when it is not permitted by electoral rules.
With election to the Dhaka city corporations around a week away, ward councillor candidates are campaigning in full swing. However, most of them do not have any specific vision to develop their wards, if elected.
Women candidates for elections to the reserved ward councillor posts of two Dhaka city corporations don’t just want to be “ornamental councillors”; they want to make the city safer for women and have demanded a balance of power between them and their male counterparts so that they can serve people properly.
Exercise your franchise! Come to the polling centres overcoming all obstacles and vote!