A REPORT carried by the New Nation said due to delays the construction works of upgrading Dhaka-Mymensingh highway to a 4-lane highway, the road has been turned into a dangerous narrow passage with thick clouds of dust and scattered rubble. Generally, a three-hour-long journey from the capital to Mymensingh takes more than eight hours even by a private car due to the battered condition of the road. The under construction highway not only leads to traffic congestion for hours, but also poses serious life risks to motorists of all modes. The responsible Ministry is indifferent to the plights of the commuters. The government, not supported by the people, and the uncontrolled bureaucrats are busy pocketing the public money resulting in delays of the project completion and a deepening of the people’s sufferings.
The daily said that the journey through the highway becomes unhealthy as the thick clouds of dust makes it impossible for the commuters and drivers to take an easy breath. The development project of Dhaka-Mymensingh highway had begun in July 2010 under the auspices of Roads and Highways Department. But only half of the construction works of the 87km-long highway has so far been completed in the last four years. To get a speedy progress, the project was given to the Special Works Organisation of Bangladesh Army in 2012. But the scenario remained almost the same. By this time, project costs have escalated by a factor of over two, from Tk 880 crore to Tk 1,815 crore. Although Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader hoped that the project would be completed by March this year, in reality it is impossible to complete the rest fifty percent work in the remaining 3 months of the stipulated time frame. The departmental progress report also expressed uncertainty about completion of the work within March next.
Meanwhile, the highway has become very risky due to potholes while a large portion of the road is also dilapidated. There is no light along the road for movement after sunset. There is no traffic signal and even no divider on the road. There are several deep tunnels beside the busy road, which virtually misguide the drivers, particularly at night. Several potholes were developed on the road that trap vehicles, resulting in severe gridlocks which stretch over several miles. According to officials, the project work comprises four packages. The average progress of the construction of the four packages stands at 53.5 percent only. The Army Engineering Corps has been working smoothly, but the two other companies lagged behind.
Due to the dilapidated condition of the road traffic accidents are very common in this route. Four people were killed and two injured critically while a bus rammed a CNG-run auto-rickshaw on the highway’s Beltoli area last August. It is common knowledge that highways are now death-traps in the country and ten people die in road accidents per day on average.
Pledges after pledges are being made over the years by the government to repair the dilapidated roads and upgrade the busiest highways, like, Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh but the progress of the work is negligible. The authorities —the Ministry in particular, have proved their ineptness beyond any doubt.
