Hundreds of vehicles are being illegally parked ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr 0n both the sides of busy roads, around shopping malls, and in commercial areas, causing huge gridlock almost throughout the day.
Traffic police and concern authorities are virtually helpless to either control the traffic jam or stop the illegal parking of vehicles.
The most affected areas are Motijheel, Dilkhusha, Gulshan, Santinagar, Dhanmondi, New Market, Elephant Road, Gulshan and Mohakhali, Baily Road, Malibagh, Banani and old Dhaka, where almost 30 per cent of the roads remain occupied under illegal parking, sources said.
Cars are randomly parked in front of the Dhanmondi Hawkers, the Gausia and the Chadni Chawk markets, and between Science Laboratory intersection and Nilkhet intersection.
Commuters alleged, the haphazard and illegal parking, especially in the city's major shopping areas, trigger traffic congestion.
Roksana Akhter, a resident of Hazaribagh said, she remained stuck in a traffic jam in front of the New Market for over an hour. Parked cars kept half of the road blocked.
"I had to go home early to take iftar with my family on Monday," she said, but I could not.
The traffic problem has been growing intense from the very beginning of Ramzan.
The influential persons having political linkage and good relations with the police have been using the parking places for commercial purposes.
Every city must have 25 per cent roads and streets. But unfortunately the city of Dhaka has less than 10 per cent roads. It is one of the prime causes of traffic jam, a top police official said.
The Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) has earlier suspended leasing out spaces for parking in front of the commercial buildings in Motijheel area.
It was seen that most of the roads were being used as a car parking without any permission, but the police appears to have been allowing such illegal practice, said an aggrieved citizen.
"We are going to lease out the City Centre for car parking where a huge number of cars would be accommodated. As a result traffic situation will be improved in commercial hubs like Motijheel and Dilkhusha Areas," Md Ansar Ali Khan, Chief Executive Officer of Dhaka South City Corporation told The New Nation on Wednesday.
Khan Mohammad Rejowan, Deputy Commissioner of Traffic, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), South Zone, said that traffic jam mainly occur adjacent to shopping arcades, as many people used to come for Eid shopping.