Reza Mahmud :
The journey of homebound people during the Eid holidays might be nightmare as many roads and highways still have remained in dilapidated condition dotted with many potholes across the country.
An estimated 80 lakh city dwellers leave for home on the eve of Eid. It will be a big challenge for the authorities to repair around half of the total 21302.08 kilometers of roads and highways before the Eid journey.
According sources, approximately 43 percent of those roads and high ways are in bad shape. While the condition of 37 percent of roads’ are usable. In those the 19 percent of roads and high ways are well in condition.
Talking to The New Nation, the experts, transport workers and Eid goers expressed anxiety over the safe Eid journey, as the monsoon will add salt into wounds of the dilapidated roads and highways.
“Besides, as the monsoon is becoming active with heavy rain fall, the Eid journey will be a nightmare,” said Shaheen Sifat, a businessman, who reached capital from Chittagong on Friday amid serious gridlock on the highway.
He said all the passengers on Dhaka-Chittagong highway experienced acute gridlock due to mainly bad shape of the roads.
“When we passengers were traveling, a goods-laden truck overturned on the highway due to dilapidated road dotted with many potholes near Gojaria of Munshiganj district creating a long tailback,” he narrated.
He said if it rains during the Eid journey, the roads’ condition will deteriorate further intensifying
immense sufferings to the passengers. When contacted Professor Nazrul Islam, the urban expert, said Dhaka-Chittagong highway has been developed into a four-lane but the bridges over many rivers, have remained in previous condition.
“The four-lane highway will not bring any good news for the passengers if the bridges are not expanded. The passengers will have to experience terrible gridlock due to narrow space of the bridges,” he mentioned.
According to the sources, most of the zonal roads and highways are in vulnerable conditions.
Apart from Dhaka-Chittagong highway, the conditions of all national highways including Dhaka-Khulna, Dhaka-Rajshahi, Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Barisal also have remained dilapidated.
According to the roads and highways department (RHD), there are 3812.78 Kilometers of national highways while 4246.97 kilometers of regional highways.
There are also 13242.33 km of district roads. The total length of the roads is 21302.08 kilometers.
An official of Roads and Highways Department said, as they did not get sufficient fund, they failed to repair the dilapidated roads and highways.
“We are trying to repair the harmful roads on priority basis,” he added. According to the RHD, it needs Tk 12000 crore to repair those roads, but the government allocated only Tk 1463 crore.
“We are trying our level best to keep the roads and highways repaired and safe for the Eid goers. We hope every roads will be safe for the people during Eid journey,” said Ebne Alam Hasan, the Chief Engineer of RHD.
The transport workers said the worst conditions of the roads make them anxious.
“If the roads are not repaired before Eid, the serious gridlock will take place,’ said Saiful Alam, a driver at Syedabad bus terminal in the city.
“With huge pressure of passengers, our quick up and down trips will be badly affected as the roads’ condition is in bad shape,” he said. Bashar Hossain, another driver of Dhaka-Khulna highway, echoing the same argument, said if it may rain during the Eid, plying of vehicles like buses and coaches will be more difficulties.
However the Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on several occasions clamed that there would be no gridlock on the highway during Eid journey.
The journey of homebound people during the Eid holidays might be nightmare as many roads and highways still have remained in dilapidated condition dotted with many potholes across the country.
An estimated 80 lakh city dwellers leave for home on the eve of Eid. It will be a big challenge for the authorities to repair around half of the total 21302.08 kilometers of roads and highways before the Eid journey.
According sources, approximately 43 percent of those roads and high ways are in bad shape. While the condition of 37 percent of roads’ are usable. In those the 19 percent of roads and high ways are well in condition.
Talking to The New Nation, the experts, transport workers and Eid goers expressed anxiety over the safe Eid journey, as the monsoon will add salt into wounds of the dilapidated roads and highways.
“Besides, as the monsoon is becoming active with heavy rain fall, the Eid journey will be a nightmare,” said Shaheen Sifat, a businessman, who reached capital from Chittagong on Friday amid serious gridlock on the highway.
He said all the passengers on Dhaka-Chittagong highway experienced acute gridlock due to mainly bad shape of the roads.
“When we passengers were traveling, a goods-laden truck overturned on the highway due to dilapidated road dotted with many potholes near Gojaria of Munshiganj district creating a long tailback,” he narrated.
He said if it rains during the Eid journey, the roads’ condition will deteriorate further intensifying
immense sufferings to the passengers. When contacted Professor Nazrul Islam, the urban expert, said Dhaka-Chittagong highway has been developed into a four-lane but the bridges over many rivers, have remained in previous condition.
“The four-lane highway will not bring any good news for the passengers if the bridges are not expanded. The passengers will have to experience terrible gridlock due to narrow space of the bridges,” he mentioned.
According to the sources, most of the zonal roads and highways are in vulnerable conditions.
Apart from Dhaka-Chittagong highway, the conditions of all national highways including Dhaka-Khulna, Dhaka-Rajshahi, Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Barisal also have remained dilapidated.
According to the roads and highways department (RHD), there are 3812.78 Kilometers of national highways while 4246.97 kilometers of regional highways.
There are also 13242.33 km of district roads. The total length of the roads is 21302.08 kilometers.
An official of Roads and Highways Department said, as they did not get sufficient fund, they failed to repair the dilapidated roads and highways.
“We are trying to repair the harmful roads on priority basis,” he added. According to the RHD, it needs Tk 12000 crore to repair those roads, but the government allocated only Tk 1463 crore.
“We are trying our level best to keep the roads and highways repaired and safe for the Eid goers. We hope every roads will be safe for the people during Eid journey,” said Ebne Alam Hasan, the Chief Engineer of RHD.
The transport workers said the worst conditions of the roads make them anxious.
“If the roads are not repaired before Eid, the serious gridlock will take place,’ said Saiful Alam, a driver at Syedabad bus terminal in the city.
“With huge pressure of passengers, our quick up and down trips will be badly affected as the roads’ condition is in bad shape,” he said. Bashar Hossain, another driver of Dhaka-Khulna highway, echoing the same argument, said if it may rain during the Eid, plying of vehicles like buses and coaches will be more difficulties.
However the Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on several occasions clamed that there would be no gridlock on the highway during Eid journey.
