Many roads in the capital need urgent repair
Only a little
rainfall and construction materials of several mega-projects left to and fro have further worsened roads for commuting
The Independent (yesterdays) picture of a motorcyclist wading through knee-deep muddy water near the Malibagh level crossing tells us all: with the onset of summer following an irregular series of rainfall, many roads and streets in Dhaka have once again become unfit for use. Only a little rainfall and construction materials of several mega-projects left to and fro have further worsened roads for commuting.
Notably, some of the pothole-filled roads along the route of the under-construction flyover running through Moghbazar, Malibagh, New Eskaton, Mouchak, Mirpur and other areas of the capital city are experiencing chronic traffic congestion for well over the last couple of years. The potholes beneath the stagnated rain water often become hidden traps for manually-driven rickshaws, bikes and private cars in particular for they very often turn upside down with passengers on board.
The quality of construction of roads and streets and their maintenance have always been an old issue that deserves priority attention of the policymakers. The conditions of roads under two separate municipal corporations of the capital city have understandably failed to serve the purpose for making our roads smooth and unimpeded.
For explicable reasons, these roads have become unfit for smooth movement of traffic. A large number of wide and deep holes have been created in the middle of these roads to construct piers for the flyovers with the help of heavy machinery and equipment. Such disorganised and unruly situation actually demands closure of such roads to traffic. But yet the traffic authorities have kept them open for the sake of conducting traffic movement. This has been happening since municipal authorities often fail to introduce alternate roads.
However, in the midst of a spree of long standing unaddressed predicaments, the city corporations could at least begin to address obvious issues right away which are directly linked to the road-related plights of our city dwellers. These are renovating the poorly built roads and improving the existing drainage system. Following these two we call for the construction companies to remove all unwarranted raw materials while storing them into a specified area in a more organised manner.
With the rainy season a couple of months away, the concerned authorities must adopt preventive measures for the swift flow-out of rain water so as to avoid traffic congestion and environmental pollution. Lastly, the roads should be fixed prior the rainy season in order to avoid all forms of water logging and smooth running of vehicles.
