Pitiable state of highways

Nearly 73 per cent of national highways in Bangladesh, as noted by the ADB, do not meet the international standard

According to a report published in this newspaper most of the 66-km-long Chandpur-Comilla regional highway is in very bad shape, leading to immense inconvenience for the thousands of passengers who travel on this road every day.

This is hardly an isolated case as almost all the country's important highways are in a bad shape. This situation has amply been highlighted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in one of its recent reports. Nearly 73 per cent of national highways in Bangladesh, as noted by the ADB, do not meet the international standard. Hence, the quality of construction of roads and highways and their maintenance are an issue that deserves priority attention of the policymakers. Meanwhile, the conditions of roads under two city  corporations of the capital city have alarmingly deteriorated. However, it is not that the roads of Dhaka City are specifically in poor conditions. Other towns and cities are also encountering the same problem.

An overwhelming number of vehicles are crowding the narrow urban roads. Special attention needs to be given to recognized accident-prone areas. Most of these are located on national highways, which would greatly benefit from being widened to four-lanes and the addition of brick divider to reduce head on collisions.

This word is, in fact, an understatement to describe the actual state of these roads that are more than unfit for use by both pedestrians and vehicles, manual or motorised. Potholes of various depth and size do dominate such roads. Under the ongoing spell of monsoon rain, the situation has only worsened further. The potholes beneath the stagnated rain water have become hidden traps for manually-driven rickshaws in particular for they very often turn upside down with passengers on board. There are other reasons that are obviously linked to the road-related plights of the city dwellers. These include the poor quality of road construction and the city's poor drainage system. A newly carpeted city road can very rarely endure the onslaught of more than one rainy season mainly because of poor quality of work. Graft and highhandedness by the vested interests are to blame for it.

The drainage system built along most city streets unscientifically, in most cases, cannot flush out rain waters. Moreover, the surface drains usually remain clogged due to the dumping of garbage of all sorts by residents. Thus, stagnant rain or waste water oozing out of sewer system causes severe damage to the bituminous roads.

Pitiable state of highways

Nearly 73 per cent of national highways in Bangladesh, as noted by the ADB, do not meet the international standard

According to a report published in this newspaper most of the 66-km-long Chandpur-Comilla regional highway is in very bad shape, leading to immense inconvenience for the thousands of passengers who travel on this road every day. This is hardly an isolated case as almost all the countrys important highways are in a bad shape. This situation has amply been highlighted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in one of its recent reports. Nearly 73 per cent of national highways in Bangladesh, as noted by the ADB, do not meet the international standard. Hence, the quality of construction of roads and highways and their maintenance are an issue that deserves priority attention of the policymakers. Meanwhile, the conditions of roads under two city corporations of the capital city have alarmingly deteriorated. However, it is not that the roads of Dhaka City are specifically in poor conditions. Other towns and cities are also encountering the same problem. An overwhelming number of vehicles are crowding the narrow urban roads. Special attention needs to be given to recognized accident-prone areas. Most of these are located on national highways, which would greatly benefit from being widened to four-lanes and the addition of brick divider to reduce head on collisions. This word is, in fact, an understatement to describe the actual state of these roads that are more than unfit for use by both pedestrians and vehicles, manual or motorised. Potholes of various depth and size do dominate such roads. Under the ongoing spell of monsoon rain, the situation has only worsened further. The potholes beneath the stagnated rain water have become hidden traps for manually-driven rickshaws in particular for they very often turn upside down with passengers on board. There are other reasons that are obviously linked to the road-related plights of the city dwellers. These include the poor quality of road construction and the citys poor drainage system. A newly carpeted city road can very rarely endure the onslaught of more than one rainy season mainly because of poor quality of work. Graft and highhandedness by the vested interests are to blame for it. The drainage system built along most city streets unscientifically, in most cases, cannot flush out rain waters. Moreover, the surface drains usually remain clogged due to the dumping of garbage of all sorts by residents. Thus, stagnant rain or waste water oozing out of sewer system causes severe damage to the bituminous roads.