Commuters have been suffering on the roads since morning today due to heavy traffic congestion, mainly caused by protest programmmes held by different groups on Dhaka streets.

Heavy rainfall throughout the morning, going into the afternoon, only exacerbated the traffic jams.

Many were seen walking to their destinations as vehicles were stuck at different points, including Karwan Bazar, Badda, Agargaon, Paltan, Mirpur and Farmgate.

People had to wait for a long time to avail public buses.

Photo: Prabir Das

Shop owners and employees of Bashundhara City Shopping Complex blocked a part of the Karwan Bazar roundabout in Dhaka this morning, demanding resignation of the market's in-charge and a reduction in shop rent.

The Mirpur-10 roundabout and nearby areas saw huge traffic congestion as teachers of primary schools blocked the roads in the area around midday.

"The traffic movement was very slow in Mirpur area. I was stuck for around 30 minutes in one place," said a motorcyclist who was heading towards Farmgate through the Mirpur-10 intersection.

Press Club and nearby areas saw huge traffic jam as well, as several hundred doctors marched towards Bangladesh Medical & Dental Council in the Bijaynagar area, to realise their nine-point demands, including restricting use of the "Doctor" or "Dr" prefix to only MBBS and BDS degree holders.

Besides, employees of different government offices and different projects took to the street with various demands in Agargaon and Jatiya Press Club areas.

The Traffic Gulshan Division posted on its Facebook page that students had gathered in the Gulshan-2 intersection, creating intense traffic jams. As of 2:40pm, the gathering had moved away, but traffic had still not returned to normal.