Shah Alam Nur :
The residents of Dhaka city are facing immense sufferings as road digging works are going on day after day during this monsoon for laying of utility service lines.
Like the previous years, the two city corporations have been digging the streets during this monsoon, in violation of their own regulations, which is the main reason of waterlogging, and hampering traffic movement and increasing people’s sufferings.
Due to the construction and repair works amid rain, most of the streets have become unfit for transports as well as pedestrians. Besides, heaps of mud, bricks, brick chips, sand and pipes also narrowed the city roads, residents of several areas of the city complained while talking to The New Nation on Wednesday.
They said traveling around the capital is difficult during rainy season, but digging up roads, particularly in this season, further worsens the already bad traffic situation.
Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations and state-run organisations take up their routine development works that require road digging almost every year around monsoon, they further complained.
In the case that several of them have to work at the same place, they dig up the place several times for their individual projects instead of planning and coordinating their work and does it all in one go.
The government agencies who conduct such digging are: Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Dhaka WASA), Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC), Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).
According to their own regulations, all the development work should be finished by May or, if not finished, should be put on hold until October so that people do not have to suffer during monsoon, sources at the city corporations said.
Residents in both Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations claimed that the state-run organisations take up their routine development works that require road digging almost every year around monsoon.
One such case of Dhaka WASA’s development works in West Rajabazar, Panthapath, Rajarbagh and different other parts of Mirpur which it started recently.
The organisation is working on sewerage lines in roads near the Panthapath-Green Road this monsoon, when around the same time last year the DNCC fixed the storm water drainage system in the same area. The double work is causing sufferings to the residents of Kathalbagan, Panthapath and the adjoining areas two years in a row.
Takseem A Khan, Managing Director of Dhaka WASA said they avoided digging up roads for development work during monsoon, unless there was a problem that needed attention immediately.
He said, “We generally do the development work before monsoon, but sometimes some projects may extend to monsoon. We always try to finish all kinds of excavation-related work by May.”
Sayeed Khokon, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor urged the city dwellers to play their respective roles in keeping the city clean and free from traffic congestion.
He made the urge while speaking at a discussion on National Mourning Day, held at Madanmohan Lane in city’s older section on Wednesday.
Khokon, however, commented that it would not be possible for him to do everything. “Every city dwellers should come forward to keep the city clean and safe,” he added.
