M M Jasim :
Urban planners on Sunday urged the government to take necessary measures to complete the Metro Rail Project timely as per the original layout to reduce the sufferings of city dwellers during the construction works.
At the same time, they said it (government) should deploy efficient project director and skilled manpower to properly manage the project taking lessons from the Moghbazar-Malibagh-Mouchak flyover.
Sufferings of the city dwellers were mounted due to the slow construction works due mainly to faulty design and lack of skilled persons in the project.
“The initiative to set up the metro rail in the city is appreciable. It will definitively help reduce the city’s traffic jam,” Prof Nazrul Islam, a leading urban planer of the country told The New Nation on Sunday.
Expressing his satisfaction over the government initiative, he said, “No doubt it’s a good initiative. But the utmost priority should be give on timely implementation of the project.”
“The delay in project implementation will not only increase the project cost significantly but also intensify sufferings of the city dwellers,” he added.
Referring to the experience of the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover project, Prof Islam said, “We have the experience that traffic movement apparently came to a mess in the adjacent areas of Moghbazar-Malibagh-Mouchak flyover due to the delay of construction works and piling up construction machineries and materials.”
As a result, he said, roads were narrowed down and blocked. The vehicles were seen waiting in a queue for hours on roads creating huge sufferings to the commuters.
“It’s a regular phenomenon there. But the authorities concerned did a little to reduce the problem.”
We want that such scenario will not be seen again. The government must properly manage the metro rail project to ensure the easy movement of the commuters during its construction works.
Prof Islam, also the Chairman of Centre for Urban Studies (CUS), said although the metro rail project was approved in 2009. But it takes seven years time to start construction work. The delay is unexpected and it only happens due to indifference of the agencies concerned and red tapism.
“Now it has been started and we are happy,” he said.
When asked, Prof Islam said Dhaka demands for metro rail and other modern traffic facilities to reduce its mounting congestion and improve transport facilities for the city dwellers.
Welcoming the metro rail project, Architect Iqbal Habib told The New Nation yesterday that it is a modern system to ensure easy movement of traffic and reduce the jam in over populated cities like Dhaka.
“But it is not the only solution to commute traffic jam in Dhaka. The government will have to ensure walking friendly environment in the city. It will be more effective if commuter railway is built,” said Iqbal Habib.
Stressing the need for increasing public transport facilities in the city, he said, “The government must provide public transport to the people where every one could move easily. The transport must be ensured for all, not a portion of people.”
Asking about the plan of the metro rail project, he said there were some silly mistakes in the plan which actually unexpected. The route near the Parliament may hamper the design of the structure and obviously it looks odd, the architect said.
“The people suffered most during the construction of the Moghbazar- Mouchak flyover which was scheduled to open in February of 2015. But it was inaugurated and opened partially for the traffic on March 30 in 2016. It is bad luck for us,” he said.
Iqbal Habib suggested the government to take necessary measures to ensure proper management of the metro rail project and its timely implementation.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday inaugurated construction work for the first metro rail service in Dhaka.
The prime minister inaugurated the construction work from Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.
Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project, official name of the metro rail scheme, stretches from Uttara to Motijheel.
The Tk 22,000 crore ($2.5 billion) metro rail project has been taken with an aim to open half of the 20km metro line by the end of 2019.
The entire metro rail route will be elevated and all 16 stations will be elevated as well. Only the depot will be on the ground. A Japanese firm Tokyo Construction Ltd is carrying out the depot land development work.
The 16 stations include North Uttara, Pallabi, Mirpur, Kazipara, Sheorapara, Agargaon, Rokeya Sarani, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Shahbagh, Dhaka University, Bangladesh Secretariat and Motijheel.
