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Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, head of the labour reform commission, said, “From the 1960s to the 1980s, planning consistently overlooked workers. Any development effort should begin with the working class.”

Dr M Shamsul Hoque, professor of Civil Engineering at Buet, called for a coordinated, eco-conscious transport policy. “Globally, transport ministries operate in harmony across rail, road, air, and waterways. In Bangladesh and India, it’s the opposite,” he said.

Prof AK Enamul Haque, director general of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), said, “Every kilometre of Dhaka’s roads serves around 80,000 people daily. At New Market junction alone, 5,000 people cross every hour.”

“Yet, we don’t even have public restrooms. Footpaths last just 1.5 years before being dug up again. Our development is so unplanned that we’re turning cities into vertical slums,” he added.

Eminent economist Prof Anu Muhammad said, “No ruling party has taken a holistic approach to governance. Our cities are shaped by a nexus of bureaucrats, political-business elite, and foreign agencies acting as a shadow government.”

While Bangladesh has natural advantages -- fertile land, rivers, canals, and biodiversity -- it is spending billions to destroy them, he warned. “In the Middle East, they’re turning deserts green. Here, we are turning green into desert,” he said.

Feroz Ahmed, member of the Constitutional Reform Commission, said Dhaka is being designed to exploit youth labour rather than function as a humane city.

“All professionals must take responsibility for the roles they play in shaping this reality,” he said.

Dr Adil Muhammad Khan, president of BIP, presided over the programme, while BIP General Secretary Shaikh Muhammad Mehedi Ahsan moderated the sessions.