Syed Shemul Parvez :
Different public service providers have made the Dhaka city streets into a nightmare for the commuters as they continue to digging the streets almost everywhere in the capital in the name of repairing roads or improving public services.
Since the middle of the last year, around 26 service providers, including Dhaka WASA, BTCL, TITAS, DESA, DESCO and RAJUK, have been carrying out their development works without any coordination among them, making the government development projects a continuous source of sufferings for the dwellers.
City experts, however, observed that the whole city is unplanned. The service companies did not work following a master plan. So, the digging is increasing day by day.
They laid stress on adoption of an integrated plan to carry out development activities of all service providers, otherwise, ‘sufferings of the dwellers will not be reduced’.
Due to lack of coordination among different service providers, implementation of different development projects of WASA, TITAS, DESCO and DESA are increasing only public sufferings, they added.
It seems that there is no one to see whether the ongoing drainage development projects, worth billions of taka, are being implemented within the shortest period of time as the implementation involves digging of streets almost everyday in the city.
At some places streets are left devastated for months after being dug, and nobody knows actually when this unending drainage repairing will end.
It seems the contractors are not accountable to anyone as they carry out their works at their own will, lingering the construction day after day.
Contacted on the issue, former UGC chairman and a renowned city expert Professor Mohammad Nazrul Islam told the New Nation: “Digging is needed for development, but it must be done following a proper plan and in coordination among different projects. It must be ensured that a same street is not dug twice by two different service providers.”
He said the digging should be done at the shortest possible time with a view to reducing public sufferings.
However, Asaduzzaman, Additional Chief Engineer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), argued it is very natural that people would face some temporary difficulties due to the digging for the sake of better services.
He hoped that the on going implementation of the projects would finish within June next.
Actually, the city dwellers are fed up with the digging of roads and reforming drain work month after month. Road becomes closure due to cavity on one side. So vehicles cannot trips properly, rather it creates terrible traffic jam. Many businesses have to shut down for the digging.
Daily commuting in the commercial hub of the capital’s Motijheel and Gulistan have become hazardous due to the digging of streets that started more than a month ago.
Abdul Matin, a businessman from the city’s RK Mission Road, observed that once the work started no one knows when it would end. But here in Motijheel one day’s transactions mean millions of Taka.
“A market at RK Mission Road is completely closed for the last month due to sidewalk digging,” he informed.
Similar situation prevails almost in other places in Dhaka city, including Mirpur, Shewrapara, Kazipara, Mohammadpur, Adabar, Gabtoli, Dhanmondi, Pallabi, Kafrul, Banani, Gulshan, Mohakhali, Badda, Rampura, Khilgaon, Basaboo, Malibag, Mouchak, Fakirapool, Kamlapur, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, Purana Paltan, Azimpur, New Market, Naya Paltan, Lalbagh, Hazaribagh, Jigatola and Rayerbazar.
