According to Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) officials, most city dwellers are unaware of the over-bridge usage benefits and could face street accidents by running across the streets.

DCC has placed barricades at several road joints to stop pedestrians from following this practice, compelling them to use the over-bridges. However, even with such compulsion city dwellers seem reluctant to use the foot-over bridges.

"I don't want to walk all the up and down just to get across the street," said Mizan, a Dhaka University (DU) student and resident of Maghbazar.

"We are usually in a rush to either get to office and back home," said Zahidul Hoque, a service holder from Farmgate. "I do not have any energy left after a hard day's work for the added amount of exercise," he added.

Pedestrians also allege that because of the vendors who are into illegal businesses, sex workers and beggars invading these bridges they are overcome by a sense of fear, although these bridges are located at the busiest points of the city.

"It seems that the over bridges have been built for hawkers, people cannot use them," said Selim, a pedestrian who chose to run across the road instead of using the New Market over bridge.

He said that there is hardly any space for a passer-by to walk through as these hawkers leave little space for two people to walk..

The DCC and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) responsible for the upkeep and security of the bridges respectively have failed to keep most of these foot-over bridges from illegal use.

"Our responsibility was to construct the bridge, which ended as we opened it for public use," said a senior DCC official when asked about their concerns about the issue.

On the other hand Tejgaon police officials said that the hawkers and beggars of the Farmgate foot-over bridge have recently been evicted.

"They would be back soon, as always," said a nearby shop owner at the Tejgaon over bridge.

"We are constantly trying to improve the situation on the foot-over bridges by increasing police patrols and frequent raids," said SM Mizanur Rahman DMP commissioner.

Regarding the return of the evicted beggars, vendors and sex workers, Rahman told Star City that there was very little the police could do as they tend to come back as soon as the patrolling officers leave the spot.

While most in relevant places, some of the bridges such as the ones located at DU and Bashabo are built at spots hardly used by any pedestrian.

"I don't see why they built a foot-over bridge here at this crossing that is not at all important," said Humayan, a student of BUET.

An example of how DCC misuses public funds in constructing poorly planned over bridges is the Paribagh foot-over bridge near the Hotel Sheraton intersection that lay half-constructed for a long time before being demolished last year.

Having already spent Tk 11 lakh to build the initial structure; the DCC spent a further Tk 60,000 to demolish it.