An avoidable public nuisance

WE are aghast by the shameful display of indifference to public suffering that Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan and his supporters had shown day before yesterday by bringing out a one-kilometre-long march, creating hours of gridlock across the capital. The procession started from the outskirts of the Parliament and ended at the Suhrawardy Udyan before parading through some of Dhaka's busiest traffic intersections, resulting in a domino effect in the other parts of the capital that had forced the city dwellers into untold misery. 

Blocking busy thoroughfares in such a manner is despicable as it is, and we cannot but throw our hands up in despair when a ruling party leader himself leads a rally that makes ordinary people wait in tailbacks for hours on end. And that too for demands to arrest Khaleda Zia at a time when the government is showing some flexibility in accommodating the opposition. 

While we understand that in a democratic society everyone has the right to freely assemble, it should not come at the price of people's suffering. This is especially so when it comes to Dhaka's ever deteriorating traffic situation, which the government, instead of exacerbating, should try its best to manage properly.