Public Roads Must Remain Public 

A key feeder intersection along the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway (N8), connecting Postogola and Jurain, has become a parking area for mini-trucks and covered vans. According to a recent photograph published in this newspaper, a prominent signboard belonging to the Inter-District Truck and Covered Van-Mini Truck Drivers and Workers Union stands directly at the site. 

We find this blatant occupation of public infrastructure deeply concerning. The situation points towards an organised system of informal toll collection operating on public land. More importantly, it raises a critical institutional question: how can an unauthorised vehicle stand operate so openly on a busy arterial corridor without timely intervention from enforcement authorities?
 
This incident is not an isolated breach of traffic rules, but part of a systemic pattern of spatial capture visible across Dhaka. From the makeshift inter-district bus terminals choking Mohakhali and Sayedabad to the illegal truck stands occupying key stretches of Tejgaon and Gabtali, public thoroughfares across the capital are routinely converted into commercial real estate by powerful transport syndicates. In each instance, the mechanism remains identical: local unions erect informal banners, establish toll points and monetise public space under the guise of worker welfare. When regulators consistently allow unauthorised stands to operate unchecked, informal extortion schemes gradually acquire the appearance of administrative legitimacy.

Meanwhile, the economic and structural costs of this regulatory failure fall entirely on ordinary citizens. Commuters lose thousands of productivity hours in artificial bottlenecks, pedestrians are forced into hazardous traffic lanes, and supply chains face compounding delays. The state has invested thousands of crores of taka in high-capacity infrastructure - such as expressways, flyovers, and mega-bridges - to streamline regional connectivity. Yet, the macro-economic yields of these massive capital investments are systematically undermined when essential feeder roads and access points remain blocked by localised lawlessness. 

Addressing this crisis requires moving beyond reactive, short-lived eviction drives that merely push congestion into adjacent neighbourhoods. The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA), Dhaka Metropolitan Police and relevant municipal corporations must execute coordinated, sustained enforcement. Regulatory bodies need to dismantle the financial networks driving roadside extortion, while simultaneously planning designated, off-street freight terminals and parking facilities to address real operational needs. Without designated facilities paired with continuous monitoring and strict institutional oversight, cleared intersections will simply revert to syndicate control the moment enforcers leave. 

Ultimately, we expect policymakers to uphold a non-negotiable principle: public roads must remain public asset corridors, not sources of informal revenue. Transport workers undoubtedly require functional infrastructure to support trade, but operational requirements cannot justify the lawless capture of public thoroughfares. If Dhaka is to function as a modern, efficient metropolis, state agencies must enforce the rule of law on its streets and guarantee that public infrastructure remains safe, accessible and open to all citizens.