Sajjadul Kabir, a private company employee, has to commute to Motijheel's Shapla Chattar area every day from Old Dhaka's Dhalkanagar.

While this commune earlier took him around 15 to 20 minutes on a rickshaw, it currently takes at least 45 minutes to cover the distance. Returning home in the evening becomes even more daunting, sometimes taking more than an hour and a half.

"If I am late at work for three days, the company deducts my salary for one day. In the last 15 days, I was late to work for five days. I would have walked the distance instead to get to work early, but the heatwave made that nearly impossible," he said while talking to The Daily Star.

The story is the same for anyone travelling between Motijheel and Tikatuli areas in the capital.

The distance that used to take me 10-15 minutes on a motorcycle earlier, now takes 45 minutes. But when my wife covers the distance on a rickshaw, it takes over an hour. Monowar Hossain Resident of Swamibagh

Their agony has been caused by the construction work of the underground power line on Hatkhola road in Motijheel, conducted by Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited.

The work on the project was started soon after Eid-ul-Fitr, as part of which the road has been dug to connect underground power lines, causing immense suffering to office-goers, students, and pedestrians, who have to commute through Motijheel, Tikatuli, and neighbouring areas.

The distance that used to take me 10-15 minutes on a motorcycle earlier, now takes 45 minutes. But when my wife covers the distance on a rickshaw, it takes over an hour.

— Monowar Hossain Resident of Swamibagh

Monowar Hossain, a resident of Swamibagh, said, "I take my daughter to Motijheel Ideal School every morning. The distance that used to take me 10-15 minutes on a motorcycle earlier, now takes 45 minutes. It still takes me a little less time since I ride a motorcycle, but when my wife goes to pick up my daughter from school on a rickshaw, it takes over an hour."

"The situation becomes more horrible at night when long-haul buses use the route to get on the flyover, causing traffic congestion in the area," said Sabikun Nahar, a resident of Gopibagh area.

On Tuesday, this correspondent took a rickshaw from Motijheel to the entrance of Mayor Hanif Flyover at the Tikatuli intersection. The rickshaw ride took 42 minutes for a distance that shouldn't take over 10 minutes. It took the correspondent 17 minutes when he walked the same distance while returning.

From his experience, the extent of suffering the locals are being subjected to became apparent.

It was seen that the ongoing work on metro rail from Motijheel's Shapla Chattar to Kamalapur has already left the road quite narrow. After crossing the Bangladesh Bank, it was seen that the road from there to Madhumita Cinema Hall had been dug recently.

The road from Shapla Chattar to Tikatuli was dug along the middle by DPDC, which is now filled up with soil but not cast with bitumen yet, with large potholes here and there.

Speeding vehicles often fall victim to accidents while using this road. The road on the east side of the Tikatuli road -- stretching from the Ittefaq intersection to Hanif Flyover --  was also seen dug.

Besides, there were no safety measures taken for the work other than a flimsy yellow tape separating the project site and the road.

The DPDC also started digging the road in front of the Dhaka Stock Exchange building on Monday. Moreover, the road on the west side of Bangabhaban has also been cut for some development work.

All these works going on simultaneously have left the residents of the areas in dire straits regarding their everyday commute.

Talking to the correspondent, Belal, a worker involved in the DPDC project, said, "It may take one or two more months to complete our work."

However, no representative of DPDC or the contractor for the project was found in the construction area.

Contacted, DPDC executive director (engineering) Morshed Alam Khan said they are working on connecting underground cables from Bangabhaban sub-station to English Road sub-station.

"We are trying our best to lessen suffering of the residents. However, the road from Hatkhola intersection to Rajdhani Super Market is narrow, due to which commuters using the road are facing a lot of hassle," he said.

"We hope to complete the road work within the next three-four days and the entire project by May 20," he added.