UNB, Chittagong :
Big infrastructures are being constructed in and around the port city in an unplanned way violating the 20-year long master plan and Detailed Area Plan (DAP), resulting in no real change in the port city.
A recent report titled ‘Necessity of constructing flyovers and woes in the development of Ctg transportation sector’, published by Parikalpito Chittagong Forum, depicted the scenario of the development of the port city.
The Chittagong Development Authorities (CDA) constructed two flyovers-one at Bahddarhat and another at Kadamtali involving Tk 145 crore and Tk 58 crore respectively-while the construction work of Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar flyover is going on involving Tk 462 crore, aiming to reduce traffic jam.
But Bahaddarhat flyover remains mostly idle as locals refrain from using it due to it unsuitable design while vehicle movement on Kadamtali flyover is also very limited.
Apart from that, a marine drive road was also built in the city to ease traffic gridlock but it didn’t yield expected result.
The authorities have been constructing 18-km Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar Airprot flyover ignoring the interest of 98-99 percent city dwellers only to give facilities to some 0.02 percent people using Shah Amanat International Airport area, said the report.
It would have been possible to implement many development projects, including construction of sufficient roads throughout the city, launching active public transports, building an inner ring road from Shah-Amanat Bridge to Barek Building, constructing two more bridges on the Karnaphuli River if the flyovers were not built, it said.
However, the duration of the 20-year master plan for the development of the port city ended in 2015 without implementation.
Talking to UNB, CDA chairman Abdus Salam said ramps and loops were attached with Bohoddarhat and Muradpur flyovers to increase the use of those and traffic jams will be reduced once the flyover connecting Lalkhan Bazar and Airport is opened to traffic.
CDA engineer Mahfuzur Rahman said the original design of Bahddarhat flyover was Y-shape, however, the authorities revised the design and linked it with Cox’s Bazar road.
On the other hand, the CDA authorities took an initiative to attach four ramps and a single loop with Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar flyover.
The CDA took a decision to add three ramps at 2 No. Gate, GEC intersection and Wasa areas in the city following an instruction from the Housing and Public Works Ministry.
City planner Engineer Subhash Chandra Barua said according to a recommendation, out of seven, of chapter four of the DAP, flyovers can be constructed connecting CDA 2 No. Gate and GEC intersection based on survey on the pressure of vehicles.
The authorities should have examined feasibility of flyover projects conducting a survey before finalising their decisions, Barua added.
The report mentioned that building unplanned infrastructures is a big barrier to the development of the port city.
On the other hand, the CDA took some small initiatives to remove water logging problem which have no consistency with the Detailed Area Plan(DAP) formulated over one and half decades ago. Important points of the city, including Khatunganj and Agrabad, go under water due to rain and tidal surge every year.
According to the sources of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), a drainage master plan was sketched in association with UNDP and UNHN, two United Nations bodies, to solve water logging problem in the city. The plan got government approval on March 3, 1999.
The plan included digging new canals across the city, dredging of the existing ones, building silt traps, constructing tidal regulators on the entrance of several linking canals of the Karnaphuli River and building dams on the both sides of the river.
However, the city corporation authorities could not implement a single project although around 18 years have elapsed since the planning.
Big infrastructures are being constructed in and around the port city in an unplanned way violating the 20-year long master plan and Detailed Area Plan (DAP), resulting in no real change in the port city.
A recent report titled ‘Necessity of constructing flyovers and woes in the development of Ctg transportation sector’, published by Parikalpito Chittagong Forum, depicted the scenario of the development of the port city.
The Chittagong Development Authorities (CDA) constructed two flyovers-one at Bahddarhat and another at Kadamtali involving Tk 145 crore and Tk 58 crore respectively-while the construction work of Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar flyover is going on involving Tk 462 crore, aiming to reduce traffic jam.
But Bahaddarhat flyover remains mostly idle as locals refrain from using it due to it unsuitable design while vehicle movement on Kadamtali flyover is also very limited.
Apart from that, a marine drive road was also built in the city to ease traffic gridlock but it didn’t yield expected result.
The authorities have been constructing 18-km Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar Airprot flyover ignoring the interest of 98-99 percent city dwellers only to give facilities to some 0.02 percent people using Shah Amanat International Airport area, said the report.
It would have been possible to implement many development projects, including construction of sufficient roads throughout the city, launching active public transports, building an inner ring road from Shah-Amanat Bridge to Barek Building, constructing two more bridges on the Karnaphuli River if the flyovers were not built, it said.
However, the duration of the 20-year master plan for the development of the port city ended in 2015 without implementation.
Talking to UNB, CDA chairman Abdus Salam said ramps and loops were attached with Bohoddarhat and Muradpur flyovers to increase the use of those and traffic jams will be reduced once the flyover connecting Lalkhan Bazar and Airport is opened to traffic.
CDA engineer Mahfuzur Rahman said the original design of Bahddarhat flyover was Y-shape, however, the authorities revised the design and linked it with Cox’s Bazar road.
On the other hand, the CDA authorities took an initiative to attach four ramps and a single loop with Muradpur-Lalkhan Bazar flyover.
The CDA took a decision to add three ramps at 2 No. Gate, GEC intersection and Wasa areas in the city following an instruction from the Housing and Public Works Ministry.
City planner Engineer Subhash Chandra Barua said according to a recommendation, out of seven, of chapter four of the DAP, flyovers can be constructed connecting CDA 2 No. Gate and GEC intersection based on survey on the pressure of vehicles.
The authorities should have examined feasibility of flyover projects conducting a survey before finalising their decisions, Barua added.
The report mentioned that building unplanned infrastructures is a big barrier to the development of the port city.
On the other hand, the CDA took some small initiatives to remove water logging problem which have no consistency with the Detailed Area Plan(DAP) formulated over one and half decades ago. Important points of the city, including Khatunganj and Agrabad, go under water due to rain and tidal surge every year.
According to the sources of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), a drainage master plan was sketched in association with UNDP and UNHN, two United Nations bodies, to solve water logging problem in the city. The plan got government approval on March 3, 1999.
The plan included digging new canals across the city, dredging of the existing ones, building silt traps, constructing tidal regulators on the entrance of several linking canals of the Karnaphuli River and building dams on the both sides of the river.
However, the city corporation authorities could not implement a single project although around 18 years have elapsed since the planning.
