Reza Mahmud :
Road digging has created acute traffic tailback and untold sufferings to the residents of Mirpur. Different agencies are involved in road digging from Agargaon to Mirpur-11.
“We want development, but not sufferings. The roads have become very narrow. As a result, there are traffic jams.” Jakir Hossain, a businessman of the area told The New Nation.
Sources said, road digging for installing underground electric cables, telephone, gas, sewerage lines, optical fiber cables settings and many other purposes has been going on for months.
There are path holes at Agargaon and nearby areas. Buses and other vehicles have been seen going very slowly due to the road digging.
The passengers and drivers alleged that the traffic gridlocks often take place everyday.
“We drive bus everyday from Mirpur-10 to Gulistan. For last three months we have been suffering lots. But we have no any alternative way. Not only transport workers, the passengers also suffer,” said Abdur Rahman, a bus driver while trapped in gridlock in Agargaon.
The passengers use the road regularly. They suffer not only for the slow drive, but also for the water logging in these rainy days. “When we want to go to our destination on foot to avert traffic gridlocks for hours, we cannot do for water-logging on the roads. We are undone in such circumstances,” said Arif Sikdar, a shop owner at Rokeya Sarani.
A traffic official posted at Mirpur-10 circle said on condition of anonymity that thousands of vehicles run on this busiest road everyday. Lakhs of passengers use this route day and night. The ongoing road digging by various agencies left only a little space for a bus from Taltola to Mirpur-10 circle. In this circumstances, all the vehicles are compelled to use the narrow road in queue. Thousand of vehicles run slowly, frequently it turned a long term gridlocks.
People using the road and bus drivers said that most of the time many passengers left buses to go their destination on foot.
But those passengers who want to go more, suffer for hours.
“We think the development work should be conducted in coordination among the agencies. Otherwise passengers like me will suffer everyday,” Sharif Abdullah, a private employee and resident of Mirpur, said it.
He said that thousands of people suffer in the morning when they go to offices and in evening when they return.
