UNB, Dhaka :
The government is moving ahead with a plan to build a 218-km at-grade six-lane expressway alongside the existing Dhaka-Chattogram national highway despite local people’s serious concern over the relocation of thousands of houses, educational institutions and other establishments.
Officials at the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry said the Finance Ministry at a recent meeting decided to implement the nearly Tk 20,000-crore expressway project under Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the supervision of Roads and Highways Department (RHD). Talking to UNB, transport system expert Prof Shamsul Hoque of BUET’s civil engineering department, urban expert and former chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Nazrul Islam and Prof Sarwar Jahan of BUET’s Urban and Regional Planning (URP) department said the at-grade (through land) expressway is not feasible for the country for many reasons, including land shortage and overpopulation.
Besides, they said, huge money will have to be spent only on land acquisition and relocation of various establishments such as houses, educational institutions, markets and mosques to construct the at-grade expressway. They think the government should either build an elevated expressway with a multimodal transport corridor over the existing Dhaka-Chattogram highway or increase the lanes of the current highway or improve the railway route as an economic corridor shelving its plan for constructing the at-grade expressway.
Talking to UNB, Ruhul Amin, RHD project director, said they are taking all-out preparations to build the expressway from Kanchpur, a key entry point to the capital, to near the City Gate of the port city of Chattogram by 2024. RHD project manager Shishir Kanti Routh
said they will float a tender for the implementation of the project after having the Finance Ministry’s approval. He said the lion share of the Tk 20,000 crore will be spent on acquiring 798 hectares of land and relocating houses, markets other establishments like schools and mosques. Shishir could not say the exact number of houses, educational and religious institutions like schools and mosques need to be relocated to implement the gigantic project.
Prof Shamsul Hoque said ensuring smooth vehicular movement on an at-grade expressway in the densely populated Bangladesh is quite impossible as it usually passes through many markets and establishments.
“Dhaka-Chattogram highway is our economic corridor. We should ensure multimodal transport corridor on this route for the better use of land,” he said. Hoque thinks developing roads by damaging arable land is an outdated plain method while constructing elevated expressway and development of railway is part of strategic economic development. He also thinks the government should give priority to develop the rail network between the two cities instead of bulling express ones. Prof Nazrul Islam also thinks the at-grade expressway will not be feasible for the country for many reasons, including land shortage. He said government should not make any-at grade highway further. “Though expensive, the government can build elevated expressways over the existing highways.
The lanes of the current highway also can be increased further.” Prof Sarwar Jahan said this is not a wise decision to build another highway on Dhaka-Chattogram route. “It’ll be the right decision if the government plans to develop the railway and introduce high-speed train.” He also said the more the roads will be constructed the more will be vehicles. “Once we can make am efficient rail track, we’ll be able to control the flow of other vehicles on roads by increasing the number of trains.” Meanwhile, locals residing on both sides of the planned expressway voiced deep concern as they said they will have to suffer huge losses and hassles if the expressway is constructed.
The government is moving ahead with a plan to build a 218-km at-grade six-lane expressway alongside the existing Dhaka-Chattogram national highway despite local people’s serious concern over the relocation of thousands of houses, educational institutions and other establishments.
Officials at the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry said the Finance Ministry at a recent meeting decided to implement the nearly Tk 20,000-crore expressway project under Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the supervision of Roads and Highways Department (RHD). Talking to UNB, transport system expert Prof Shamsul Hoque of BUET’s civil engineering department, urban expert and former chairman of University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Nazrul Islam and Prof Sarwar Jahan of BUET’s Urban and Regional Planning (URP) department said the at-grade (through land) expressway is not feasible for the country for many reasons, including land shortage and overpopulation.
Besides, they said, huge money will have to be spent only on land acquisition and relocation of various establishments such as houses, educational institutions, markets and mosques to construct the at-grade expressway. They think the government should either build an elevated expressway with a multimodal transport corridor over the existing Dhaka-Chattogram highway or increase the lanes of the current highway or improve the railway route as an economic corridor shelving its plan for constructing the at-grade expressway.
Talking to UNB, Ruhul Amin, RHD project director, said they are taking all-out preparations to build the expressway from Kanchpur, a key entry point to the capital, to near the City Gate of the port city of Chattogram by 2024. RHD project manager Shishir Kanti Routh
said they will float a tender for the implementation of the project after having the Finance Ministry’s approval. He said the lion share of the Tk 20,000 crore will be spent on acquiring 798 hectares of land and relocating houses, markets other establishments like schools and mosques. Shishir could not say the exact number of houses, educational and religious institutions like schools and mosques need to be relocated to implement the gigantic project.
Prof Shamsul Hoque said ensuring smooth vehicular movement on an at-grade expressway in the densely populated Bangladesh is quite impossible as it usually passes through many markets and establishments.
“Dhaka-Chattogram highway is our economic corridor. We should ensure multimodal transport corridor on this route for the better use of land,” he said. Hoque thinks developing roads by damaging arable land is an outdated plain method while constructing elevated expressway and development of railway is part of strategic economic development. He also thinks the government should give priority to develop the rail network between the two cities instead of bulling express ones. Prof Nazrul Islam also thinks the at-grade expressway will not be feasible for the country for many reasons, including land shortage. He said government should not make any-at grade highway further. “Though expensive, the government can build elevated expressways over the existing highways.
The lanes of the current highway also can be increased further.” Prof Sarwar Jahan said this is not a wise decision to build another highway on Dhaka-Chattogram route. “It’ll be the right decision if the government plans to develop the railway and introduce high-speed train.” He also said the more the roads will be constructed the more will be vehicles. “Once we can make am efficient rail track, we’ll be able to control the flow of other vehicles on roads by increasing the number of trains.” Meanwhile, locals residing on both sides of the planned expressway voiced deep concern as they said they will have to suffer huge losses and hassles if the expressway is constructed.
