All major roads and streets in Dhaka wore a deserted look amid curfew yesterday.

Apart from a few sporadic clashes between agitators and law enforcers in different areas, much of the city remained largely empty as most people chose to stay at home throughout the day.

From morning till noon, the kitchen markets, shopping malls, offices and all sorts of businesses remained completely closed. Pedestrians and vehicles were rarely noticed even on the busiest streets including Mirpur Road, Manik Mia Avenue, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, and Sat Masjid Road.

Only a few rickshaws, ambulances and some police vehicles were seen plying the capital's roads, while no public and private transports could be seen anywhere in the city.

When the curfew was lifted on 12:00pm for two hours, people rushed to shops and kitchen markets to buy essentials.

However, the panic-stricken people moved cautiously in and around their neighbourhoods even during this time, only opting for the nearest shops and bazaars, thereby causing long queues and supply shortages in the stores, leaving many compelled to return home empty handed.

Teens playing cricket in Hatirpool. Photo: Amran Hossain, Prabir Das, Rashed Shumon

The shop owners were seen keeping their shutters half open so they could close shops at any moment if needed.

Rubaya Ahmed went to buy eggs, vegetables, chicken and fish for her family. After waiting for half an hour, she could only purchase four eggs and some vegetables.

Chicken, eggs and fresh fish were out of stock in many shops.

"I walked from one shop to another but could not find chicken and fish. I managed to buy four eggs and some vegetables. The vegetables were not fresh, but I had no choice," she said.

Many customers also alleged that the shop owners were demanding higher prices for essential commodities.

Long queues also formed in front of mobile top-up outlets and mobile financial services (MFS) agent outlets. Amid the countrywide internet shutdown, people are heavily relying on mobile phones for communication.

People getting water from a pipe in front of Bangabhaban as Wasa water ATM booths became non-functional due to internet shutdown. Photo: Amran Hossain, Prabir Das, Rashed Shumon

However, many people could not recharge their phone balance due to poor mobile phone network, and send or receive funds through MFS agents.

Rakib Hasan, a resident of Dhanmondi, said he could not recharge his phone and hence will be unable to make any emergency call for the rest of the day.

"My family lives in another district and they are very worried about the situation in Dhaka. I need to maintain regular communication with them, but due to poor network , even communication through mobile phone has become extremely difficult," he said.

"I also regularly use MFS for financial transactions. Due to poor network and long queues at the agent outlets, I could not send or receive money for four days," Rakib added.

Piles of Garbage remain unattended in Shewrapara. Photo: Amran Hossain, Prabir Das, Rashed Shumon