The Dhaka City corporations election campaigns are in full swing with what seems to be with little regard to people.

Citizens complain of the continuous sound pollution they have to endure due to promotions blaring out of the speakers all day.
According to the City Corporation (Election Code of Conduct) Rules 2016, not more than one microphone can be used during campaigns. Not only are sound polluting devices banned, use of speakers have been limited from 2 pm to 8 pm.
A spot visit to the election areas showed that the rules are being flouted with many using high-powered speakers and neither the Election Commission nor law enforcers took any steps.
As many as 756 mayor and councillor aspirants are contesting the Dhaka North and South city polls. Each of the councillor candidates use an average of two microphones each while the number for mayoral aspirants couldn’t be determined.
These sound polluting microphones blare at top frequency near education and religious institutions as well as hospitals.
Uttara Sector-4 resident Farzana Akhter says that they cannot sleep at night due to the loud campaigning.
“The kids have exams coming up. Their studies are being harmed as well,” she said.
Online activist Arif Jebtik expressed his utter annoyance in a Facebook post saying that the sound pollution was making concentrating on any work difficult.
A resident of Old Dhaka’s Najira Bazar Haji Abul Kalam said that these microphones blare in the middle of the night.
Loud campaign songs for Awami League mayoral candidates Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Atiqul Islam well into the night is a common phenomenon across the city
Responding to queries on the matter, Taposh said that his polls committee was monitoring that the code of conduct aren’t violated.
“But people are campaigning by themselves which might cause some discomfort to citizens,” he said before adding that he will look into the matter.
Atiqul Islam says that the election is like a festival and the voters are celebrating through campaigns.
“We are sticking to the electoral code of conduct. I have told my election committee to ensure there isn’t any campaign after the set time,” he said.
The opposition BNP isn’t far behind the ruling party when it comes to flouting the rules, blaring loud campaign music well into the night.
BNP’s Dhaka South mayor aspirant Ishraq Hossain denied violating the rules, saying, “We are nowhere near what the ruling party candidates are doing. We have complained to the returning officer more than once but to no effect.”
Election Commission Joint Secretary and Dhaka North Returning Officer Md Abul Kasem said that the magistrates are carrying out the duty to monitor this.
“Even then if we receive specific complaints we’ll take strict measures including scrapping their candidacy if required,” he said.
However, several assistant returning officers said that they cannot take steps as they do not have magistracy powers and many executive magistrates don’t initiate measures in many cases.
Rights organisation Poribesh Bachao Andolon General Secretary Engineer Abdus Sobhan said that the Environment Conservation Act 1995 outlines use of microphones during polls but it has to be in keeping with the Commission and Police’s permission.
He said that both the Commission and police along with the Environment Department are to blame for the sound pollution for failing to take punitive measures.