Kamruzzaman Bablu :
Unplanned road digging, footpath occupation, water-logging in several areas and traffic congestion have made city life suffer most with the beginning of the rainy season. There is no end to sufferings, even after the concerned departments took steps.
The city roads had an excessive pressure of vehicles from the second day of the holy month of Ramazan. Moreover, few service entities have been digging up roads at about 500 points for reform. As a result, even when there is shower, both drains and roads are over flooded causing immense sufferings to the city commuters and pedestrians.
According to Dhaka meteorological office, there may be regular rainfall during the whole month of Ramazan this year. It increases the sufferings manifold.
Earlier, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Annisul Haque said several times that the city authority had nothing to do about the water-logging issue nor to recover the lost canals. On the other hand, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and the Dhaka South City Corporation are blaming each other regarding the sewerage management crisis.
Apart from this, illegal occupation of footpaths during Iftar and makeshift stalls push the pedestrians into the roads collapsing the traffic flow.
the two city corporations could not specify when the digging would conclude. Though the Mayor Annisul Haque reminded the service entities several times of completing the development works by May.
It s alleged that the contractors failed to finish their construction work within the given time,” a DNCC official (Zone-4) wishing anonymity said. He also blamed Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) for their “careless and whimsical repairing initiatives.”
Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Architect Iqbal Habib said, inclination to mega projects of the city authorities was one of the main reasons for the public sufferings. He suggested more co-ordination and planning among the utility services.
“We now see traffic jam on the flyovers though the structures were built to minimize the traffic jam, due to digging up of roads.”
When asked, Khan Mohammad Redwan, Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said, “The rush is due to the beginning of Ramazan as most of the people return from their offices to take part in Iftar with family members. The congestion would come down to a tolerable level soon, he hoped adding police were active to ensuring the safe return of the people.
