WATER STAGNATION ON CITY ROADS: Rundown roads, dev work intensify people’s woes

The capital’s rundown roads and ongoing development and construction work under different authorities are aggravating the sufferings of citizens during the rainy season.
As dilapidated roads go under water it contributes to creating traffic congestion and increases the risk of accidents.
This year, officials of the two city corporations in Dhaka asked the other city utility service providers to
submit their action plans on development work for this fiscal so that the work, especially involving road digging, can be coordinated.
Roads at the corporation’s areas including Kamrangir Char, Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Dayaganj, Mirpur, Pallabi, Badda, Uttara, Goran, Tejgaon, Niketon, Gulshan, and Dhanmondi, are in a dilapidated state.
The construction work at Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover project area is a major contributor to people’s daily sufferings on roads.
‘I don’t understand why the authorities start to dig the roads during rainy season. If they have to do it, why don’t they do it earlier,’ said Hasna Zaman, a Niketon resident.
Masud Karim, a north Goran resident, said utility service providers dug the area’s roads but did not repair the roads after they had completed their work.
Under Dhaka South City Corporation there are a total of 993.449 kilometre roads, where at least six projects are being implemented to repair about 260 kilometre roads.
The projects involve repairing roads at areas including Kamrangir Char, Jatrabari, Jaikali Temple, Sayedabad and Dayaganj areas.
In a coordination meeting held on Wednesday at DSCC Nagar Bhaban, the law enforcing agencies urged the utility service providers not to start development or repair work in the capital during rainy seasons.
Different authorities, including Dhaka WASA and Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd, usually take up development work in the rainy season.
In the coordination meeting we have urged all utility service providers to send their action plans for this year’s development work on roads within 15 days, said DSCC chief executive officer Khan Mohammad Bilal.
After getting their plans we will coordinate the development work on roads to complete them before rainy season, he added.
Under Dhaka North City Corporation there are a total 1,339.89 kilometre roads.
At present they are implementing at least three projects to repair 204.82 kilometre roads at Uttara, Kuril, Mirpur, Pallabi, Bhashantek, Banani, Gulshan, Badda, Khilgaon, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Noyatola, Baghbari, Kalyanpur, Gabtoli, Dhanmondi, Agargaon and Mohammadpur areas, said DNCC additional chief engineer Syed Qudratullah.
The on-going work for the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover has made the roads at Moghbazar, Mouchak, Malibagh, Khilgaon, Shantinagar and Razarbagh unbearable during rains.
Vehicles cross the roads in long queues, moving slowly over bumps and potholes.
DNCC chief executive officer Mesbahul Islam said they had held a meeting with other utility service providers last month.
‘We told them to submit their action plans for development work on roads within a month and that deadline is going to end soon,’ he said.
We will not allow these authorities to work on roads during this fiscal after the deadline ends, he said.
‘Utility service providers will not be allowed to dig any road after we repair it,’ he added.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net