Traders at the Jatrabari wholesale kitchen market are running business directly on the highway, narrowing a vital thoroughfare and creating significant challenges for pedestrians and vehicles. A visit to the area by the UNB correspondent reveals a chaotic scene where vehicles transporting vegetables frequently load and unload on the road from midnight onwards. Private cars remain parked on much of the highway throughout the day, aggravating the congestion. In the afternoons, a makeshift wholesale kitchen market operates on the road, blatantly violating traffic regulations. Vegetables and fish are sold here, further contributing to disorder and disruption. For the traders, occupying the road seems to have become the norm. “We operate our businesses with proper permissions. Customers appreciate the convenience of finding us on the roadside and enjoy wholesale rates on essential items,” claimed Rahim, a vegetable trader. Circular Waterway Project around Dhaka fades amid neglect, poor planning But these practices have led to severe traffic problems. Wholesalers distribute goods to other parts of the country from this road, causing consistent gridlock. One wholesaler dismissed concerns, advising reporters to focus on other matters and claiming no complaints had been received about their operations. Regular commuters, however, paint a different picture. Abu Bakr, a private job holder who travels through the area daily, described the experience as “hellish,” particularly during the summer. “Police and the administration witness this chaos every day but remain completely indifferent,” he said. Veteran driver Abdul Halim, who has navigated the Dhaka-Comilla route for over two decades, shared his frustration. “Crossing just half a kilometre in the Jatrabari kitchen market area can take more than 30 minutes due to the mismanagement. Both sides of the road are problematic,” he said. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dhaka South City Corporation Mizanur Rahman told UNB that they have taken all measures to hand over the shops to the traders as soon as possible. " We have already discussed the issues in our recent meeting. It will be solved immediately to bring the discipline in the kitchen market," he said. The Jatrabari wholesale kitchen market was one of three such facilities built by Dhaka City Corporation to relocate traders from Karwan Bazar. Completed in 2015, the four-storey market on five bighas of land was designed to accommodate 895 shops. BB drafting separate rules for Islamic banking; ‘bankers divided’ But the facility remains largely unused. Traders operating in open spaces have refused to move into the market, citing difficulties in conducting their business from within the building. The abandoned structure has since become a hotspot for drug addicts. The third and fourth floors lie vacant, and parts of the second floor are being used as a garage for rickshaw vans. In the middle of the building, darkness prevails even during daylight hours. Many shop shutters have been stolen, and some units are filled with waste from the fish market. Dhaka’s two city corporations have officially approved 64 kitchen markets across the capital, but countless unauthorised markets continue to spring up, particularly at major intersections. These illegal establishments are often backed by influential local groups. Traders at such markets argue they pay rent comparable to legal markets but remain silent about who receives these payments. Critics point out that much of Bangladesh’s marketing sphere, including kitchen markets, is controlled by powerful financial syndicates. Even in regulated markets, government-imposed pricing is frequently ignored. Customers’ lack of awareness and indifference often make enforcement ineffective, leaving buyers at the mercy of fluctuating prices.

The body of a 19-year-old youth was recovered from a space between two buildings in Jatrabari area of Dhaka on Friday morning. The deceased was identified as Md Hasan, son of Shamsuddin of Alinagar Madrasa Bazar under Sadar upazila of Bhola. He used to live with relatives in Mirhazaribagh area under Jatrabari police station. Youth’s beheaded body recovered from Lalmonirhat’s maize field Sub-Inspector Md Sabbir Hossain of the police station said locals spotted the body lying in the space between the buildings around 10:45 am. Being informed, they recovered the body and sent it to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy, he said, adding that the victim might fell from one of the buildings. Security guard’s body recovered after missing for 5 day in Sirajganj There were marks of injuries on his head and other organs of the body, he said, adding that the victim might be a drug addict. An unnatural death case was filed in this connection, he added. 58-year-old woman’s body recovered in Narail

A teenager was killed after being run over by an unidentified vehicle in the capital's Jatrabari area on Thursday morning. The deceased was identified as Nayem,13, a street boy living in the area. Police foil Jamaat’s human chain in Dhaka’s Jatrabari The accident occurred this morning when the vehicle hit Nayem under the flyover, opposite of Jatrabari Kalapatti, leaving him dead on the spot, said Md. Kamruzzaman, sub-inspector of Jatrabari Police Station. Bus torched in Dhaka’s Jatrabari Police recovered the body and sent it to Dhaka Medical College morgue for an autopsy. "We are trying to find details about Nayem", added the officer. Police recover bodies of a man, teenage girl from Jatrabari

A total of nine arson attacks were reported across the country from 8 pm last night to 6 am today (November 12, 2023), according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence. Of these, 7 arson attacks were reported in Dhaka’s Jatrabari, Gulistan, Gabtoli, near Notre Dame College, Rupnagar, Sutrapur and Mirpur areas, said Talha Bin Zashim, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense Media Cell, this morning. All the arson attacks in Dhaka were on buses ahead of the countrywide 48-hour blockade of roads, rail lines and waterways. Read: Arsonists set fire to another bus in Dhaka's Mirpur Moreover, the miscreants also set a pickup van and a bus on fire in Gazipur and Barishal respectively in the same period. Supporters of BNP and its associate bodies brought out a procession in favour of the blockade this morning in Barishal city and they also burnt tyres on the streets. Read: Fire Service records 15 arson incidents across country in 37 hrs till Thursday evening At a virtual press briefing, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday called upon the country’s people and BNP supporters to observe the blockade and make it successful. Read more: 13 arson incidents reported in 27 hours till this morning: Fire Service

A man succumbed to his injuries after being knocked down by an unidentified vehicle in the capital's Jatrabari Wednesday night, police said. The deceased was identified as Md Palash (30), who worked at a car workshop in Jatrabari's Kajla. The accident occurred near Jatrabari's Kajla Bridge while the 30-year-old was crossing the road." The critically injured Palash was rushed to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where he was declared dead at 10:15pm, said Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH Police Outpost. "The body has been kept at the hospital morgue for autopsy. The vehicle involved in the accident was seized," Bachchu added. Read more: 60-year-old woman killed in Dhaka's Elephant Road as bus hits her  

The body of an unidentified man was recovered from a pavement of the capital's Jatrabari Thursday, police said. The identity of the deceased could not immediately be confirmed. The man was found lying on the pavement on Kutubkhali Bridge around 7:30am. On information, police went to the spot and took the man to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where he was declared dead around 12:30pm, Mehbah Uddin, sub-inspector of Jatrabari Police Station, said. Police assumed that the man had been living on the streets and suffering from a long illness. However, the exact cause of his death is pending autopsy and has not been confirmed. Read more: Two unidentified bodies recovered from Dhaka streets

A  bus driver and his associate have been detained with 1.700 Kg crystal methamphetamine (ice) from the capital’s Jatrabari area. The detainees were identified as Jahangir Alam Hossain, the ringleader of the drug peddling gang and the main trader of crystal meth in Teknaf, and his associate Mehedi Hasan, Additional director of Department of Narcotics Control Al Amin told reporters at a press briefing at its office in the city on Wednesday noon.   Acting on a tip-off, a team of Department of Narcotics Control led by Assistant Director (Detective) Muhammad Rifat Hossain detained the duo after conducting a drive in front of Alkarim Hospital in Jatrabari on Tuesday afternoon with 1.700 Kg crystal worth Tk 50-60 lakh, he said. Jahangir Alam Hossain used to trade crystal meth from Cox's Bazar’s Teknaf to Dhaka in the guise of a bus driver  of St Martin Paribahan. Read more: Over 2 kg Crystal Meth seized in Cox’s Bazar Jahangir has been involved in Yaba peddling since 2015 and crystal meth smuggling since 2020. Earlier he used to deliver the drugs to Dhaka from Teknaf border. Later, he himself formed a ring to do such smuggling, said the officer, said Al Amin. He also formed a separate syndicate for smuggling and selling crystal meth only due to its high price. He used to smuggle the drugs directly to his customers through his associates Mehdi. Jahangir was arrested four times by the law enforcers for his involvement in drug peddling, said the officer. Legal processes  are underway to file a case against them, he added.

A motorbike rider of Pathao, a ride sharing app, was killed as a bus hit the motorcycle in Jatrabari area of the capital on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Md Sajal, a resident of Jatrabari. The accident occurred around 11am when a bus of ‘Al-Arafah Paribahan’ hit his motorcycle in Kajla area of Jtrabari on his way to Signboard area, leaving him injured, said Monir Hossain, bother of the deceased. Read more: Man on bike killed by city bus He was later rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared him dead, said Inspector Bachhu Mia, in-charge of DMCH outpost. The body has been kept at the hospital morgue. Police also seized the killer vehicle but failed to arrest the driver, he added.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) said on Friday that they arrested 31 members of an organised snatching gang from several areas of the capital on  Thursday night. A team of the battalion led by its Commandant Lieutenant Colonel Arif Mohiuddin Ahmed conducted  drives in the capital’s Matijhel, Shahbagh, Sabujbagh, Paltan,  Jatrabari and Bangshal on Thursday night and arrested the snatchers. Read more: RAB: 26 held for extortion and snatching in the city Three anti-cutters, 14 blades, two knives, four switch gears, 37 mobile phone sets, some weapons used in snatching and Tk 27,073 in cash were recovered from the arrestees during the drives, a Rab press release said.

At least 20 people sustained injuries after a commuter bus overturned in the Bishwaroad area of Jatrabari in Dhaka on Friday morning. The accident occurred around 6.30am when the driver lost control of the speeding bus, belonging to Bandhan Paribahan, moments after taking a turn at the busy Bishwaroad intersection, said Monir Hossain, one of the injured passengers. Also read: Four killed in Barishal road accident The injured were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), and 18 of them are being treated at the emergency department, said Bacchu Mia, inspector in-charge of DMCH police outpost. “At least three of the injured are in a critical condition,” he said, quoting the duty doctor. Some of the injured have been identified as Omar Ali, 30, Monir Hossain, 35, Md Shafique, 32, Shahnaz Begum, 35, Md Rafi, 7, Md Jony, 25, and Munny Akter. Also read: 4 killed in Habiganj road accident