Though the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) has directed that the city’s roads should not be dug up during the rainy season, most of the service providers are indiscriminately excavating the roads across the capital, mostly without permission, DCC officials said. This is in flagrant violation of the DCC prohibition, they complained. The results of such unplanned digging of roads are there for all to see: traffic congestion, water logging, and dust, filth and mud. The sources alleged that
such development works on most city roads are undertaken only on the eve of the rainy season so that certain unscrupulous officials of the service providers can misappropriate funds.
The government has issued a standing directive not to allow anyone to dig the city roads after June, but this is ignored by various service providers.
There is a need for strong steps, which should include measures to ensure proper co-ordination among the DCC, Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC), Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB), Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) and Titas gas, senior officials of DCC South as well as North told The Independent.
Residents of Mirpur section 10-14, Janata Housing, Journalists’ Colony, Uttara, Badda, Rampura, Mirpur section 1-6 and many other parts are suffering immensely as excavated roads have been left without repairs, where rains and traffic have created large craters and potholes. Residents complain that these are often filled with water. Residents of posh residential areas like Dhanmondi and Gulshan narrate the same tale of woe.
According to high-ranking DCC officials, sometimes the roads are dug by DESA, leaving them half-filled, to be followed by the WASA, Titas gas or BTTB workers, who reopen them again on the plea of carrying out developmental works.
Roads stretching from Asad Gate to Newmarket, Mohammadpur bus stand to Rayer Bazar, Karwan Bazar to Bangla Motor, Newmarket to the secretariat, Bangla Motor to Mouchak, Dainik Bangla intersection to Baitul Mukarram, Paltan intersection to National Press Club, Zero Point to Fulbaria, Jatrabari-Gulistan road and Gulistan-Chankharpul road are filled with large dents and potholes. Pedestrians using these roads often find themselves caught in the holes at night, particularly during power outages, as those who had dug them generally do not bother to put up signs even though this is required by law.
Even the pavement on the western wall of the Secretariat, between Press Club and Paltan police box, has potholes at two points. Again, in this section of the pavement, some of the slabs on the underground drains are only partly covered, as street urchins and drug addicts have smashed them to steal iron rods.
Some of the pavements and roads under the jurisdiction of DCC (South) are in such a bad shape that they are no longer suitable for pedestrians or vehicles. The roadside drains are routinely not cleared, resulting in water-logging with even a sprinkling of rain. The situation is worse on the Gulistan-Jatrabari road under the yet-to-be finished flyover between Shantinagar and Mirpur section 14.
Najmul Islam, administrator of DCC (south), said, “The city corporation is in charge of supervising over 700km of road. We often fail to carry out repairs on all the roads because cooperation by different service providers is absent.” He alleged that many service providers do not bother to take permission from the DCC to dig the city roads.
“We can only impose fines as per the DCC Act. We have issued letters to the DPDC, WASA, BTCL and Titas gas not to dig the city roads during rainy season, taking into consideration the sufferings of city residents.”
BM Enamul, chief executive officer of DCC (north), said they have about 1,100 km of roads under DCC (north). “We have allowed the service providers to dig the roads after submitting deposit money. We have decided not to allow digging after June, but this directive is not followed,” the official added.
If the service providers start their developmental activities in January, then city residents would be spared a great deal of unnecessary suffering, he observed. Enamul also claimed that they were continuously repairing the dilapidated city roads.
“We harbour the constant fear that our vehicles will fall in potholes when we drive through these roads everyday. We often see water on the roads, but we can’t make out if there are potholes beneath them. Besides, we run the risk of damaging our vehicles,” Kalam Hossain, a bus driver on the Mirpur-Gulistan route, told The Independent.The DCC official, however, said steps were under way for carrying out repairs, adding that some of the roads have already been repaired.
-With The Independent input