Road digging with no coordination among the organisations dealing with city development works goes on unabated. So is the contractors’ irrational attitude towards the works.
A section of dishonest contractors are involved in refilling streets in the capital city with low quality materials after cutting those and leaving the works half-done. Many roads remain incomplete for a long time, mounting people’s sufferings.
“A road beside our home at Banani was cut by a government department a few days ago. But the contractor has not refilled it for long. We cannot move our car for the stacked soil in front of our gate. The officials of the contractor have taken money from us to finish the partial works,” said a resident from Banani area, preferring anonymity.
When contacted, Iqbal Habib, a renowned architecht and environmentalist, told The New Nation yesterday, “The authority should look for alternative ways before digging any busy street.”
He said the authorities started digging around 700 roads at a time without any coordination.
Iqbal Habib also pointed out that refilling the dug roads with low quality materials would also cost environment.
According to rules the contractors are to finish and repair the roads within 28 days. But the contractors did not follow the rule.
Questioned, one of the contractors said they have not got enough money from the city corporations so they could not finish the works on time.
The residents also expressed concern over the repair works beside their homes or businesses.
“Some contractors refilled the streets with low quality bricks, sands and other materials. We fear that the road may not be sustainable. It may be devastated soon if heavy rain starts,” Alam Hossain Chan, a resident at Dhanmondi, told The New Nation.
People from different areas in the city alleged that the contractors were appointed on political considerations, so they recklessly use low quality materials due to less accountability.
Many contractors also have given sub contracts to other low quality firms who work imperfectly because of being politically sheltered.
“No one protests, no one asks them to stop using low quality materials. It encourages those dishonest contractors to conduct such unethical activities,” said Ahmedul Hasan, a resident of Mirpur.
He said “A government department cut roads from Mirpur 10 circle to Agargaon through Rokeya Sarani a long time ago. Some areas have been refilled, but we worry about the sustainibility of the roads as the bricks and sands used are of low quality.”
There are 700 ongoing works. Those are in Gulshan, Baridhara, Uttara, Banani, Kuril, Mirpur, Dhanmondi, Eliphant Road, Mohammadpur, Rampura, Malibagh, Khilgaon, Basabo, Maniknagar, Mugda, Jatrabari, Fakirapool, Bijoy Nagor, Segun Bagicha, Motijheel and other areas in old Dhaka.
Apart from these, the construction work of the Moghbazar-Malibagh flyover is going on for years, which caused sufferings to the people using the road.
Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, Titas Gas, Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Limited, Dhaka Power Distribution Company and other organisations are involved in those construction works.
City dwellers are suffering from untold traffic gridlocks in those areas. The excavated roads also spread huge dust in the wind, throwing the people into health hazards.
A little rainfall makes the roads unusable, especially for the pedestrians.
The people are also worried that the construction works will remain unfinished till the coming rainy season.
Those unfinished roads might push them into miseries, they fear.
A directive from the Prime Ministers office asked all construction firms to finish the works within 30th May. But most of those works may not be finished in time.
One road repairing works at Gulshan-2 and some other big projects may need 6-7 months more.
Officials from Dhaka South and North City Corporations said the utility services like WASA, BTCL, Titas Gas have cut the roads after getting permissions from the city corporations.
The departments concerned are liable to refill the excavated roads within the stipulated time.
When contacted, Khan Mohammad Bilal, the Chief Executive Officer of DSCC told The New Nation, ” The engineers were given responsibilities for supervision of all sites of repairing and other construction works. If any negligence of them is found, we must take action.”
Md. Mesbahul Islam, the Chief Exceutive Officer of DNCC, also issued such warnings.
