Dhaka, Jan. 30 -- Hafiz Mia boarded a bus from the capital's Gulistan around 12pm, expecting a routine journey. Four hours later, he remained stranded at the Saat Rasta intersection in Tejgaon, immobilised in the gridlock that had gripped the city.

"College students are sitting on the road. The vehicle isn't moving. I'm still stuck at Saat Rasta intersection. I can't even walk because I have some belongings with me," he told bdnews24.com.

Sonia Akhtar found herself trapped in the same ordeal. She had set out for Banani to visit her ailing mother, but her private car remained motionless at the Tibet intersection in Tejgaon for three hours, ensnared in the deepening congestion.

On Thursday, the final working day of the week, a blockade b...