Of late, country's judiciary intervened in the deteriorating condition of the roads. The High Court asked the government to submit a report on the total allocation and expenditure for the development and repair of the roads and transport sector in the past five years. The honorable court acted upon in the wake of public outcry over deadly road accidents and damaged highways throughout the country.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) chairman and the communications secretary were ordered last week to submit a report by October 16. The court also issued a rule demanding explanation on the failure of the authorities to ensure road safety. The rule also asked them why an order to take steps over the accidents that had taken place because of their failure should not be issued.
Dilapidated road condition, badly managed intersections, disrespect to traffic rules and overwhelming number of vehicles have not only turned the country's highways extremely dangerous but also increased travel time between the capital and the rest of the country. Most of the 20,000-kilometre network of major roads in the country has become pot-holed due to lack of maintenance for months and in many cases for years. Hundreds of kilometres of roads now require urgent repair and maintenance.
In the face of widespread criticism over the dilapidated condition of roads and highways, the chief engineer of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) resigned late last week. The RHD chief showed health grounds behind his resignation. Additional chief engineer was made acting chief engineer. Meantime, the government cancelled the weekly and Eid holidays of the officials and employees of RHD and its offices across the country until further notice. They have been asked to remain on duty during weekly and Eid holidays to monitor road repair works.
Censuring both the communications minister and the communications secretary on the issue last week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the communications ministry to start repairing the Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Chittagong highways with immediate effect so that the job is completed before Eid-ul-Fitr. She also asked the communications minister to complete repair works on 726 kilometres of roads and highways, covering 40 routes across the country, within the current fiscal year (2011-2012) on a priority basis.
Since early last week, transport owners have suspended buys services on 12 routes demanding immediate repair of the badly damaged roads. The Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to press into service 300 buses of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) to ease the woes of passengers during Eid. She ordered the authorities concerned to present a detailed report on the expenditure incurred for development and maintenance of roads and highways during the last nine and a half years.
Despite the highest budget allocation in communication sectors, why the condition of the roads is so bad remains a big question. The communication system is bound to collapse any time if the situation goes like this. Negligence of the communications ministry is widely blamed for the situation that has caused a lot of disappointment among a cross-section of people. On its part, the RHD maintained that repair work on some roads and highways were already done, but due to heavy rain they got damaged again. These roads need to be repaired again. The RHD blamed the last BNP-Jamaat alliance government and the immediate past caretaker government for the poor road conditions. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) asked the communications ministry to submit a report on its expenditure for construction, development, maintenance, renovation and repair of roads and highways since 2001, so that it can be assessed what were done during the tenure of BNP-Jamaat alliance government and the caretaker government, and during the first half of the present government.
Late last week, the Jatiya Sangsad witnessed a heated debate on the dilapidated condition of roads and highways in the country as a number of treasury bench members questioned the performance of the communications minister. They raised the issue of shabby condition of roads and highways across the country was raised in the parliament that resulted in the suspension of bus services on different routes. It was pointed out that Awami League leader Tofael Ahmed had given a statement in parliament last February about the condition of roads in the country. But the communications minister did not pay any heed to Tofael's remarks at that time, rather he ridiculed the lawmaker. Had the minister paid heed to Tofael's remarks the road condition of the country would not have turned so bad, the lawmakers noted.
Rapid deterioration of the country's road communications system is mainly due to lack of funds and investments in the sector. On the issue of fund release for repair and maintenance of roads, contradictory statements were made by the finance minister and the communications minister.
Seasoned parliamentarian Suranjit Sengupta showed a circular of the finance ministry and questioned how the finance ministry could set conditions for spending money by the communications ministry. It is the responsibility of the finance ministry to disburse the fund and the concerned ministry will prepare projects to spend the money, he said.
[Source]
Travel time between the capital and the rest of the country has risen beyond anybody's guess due to extremely bad condition of the roads. For instance, once it took a bus little over two hours to cover the 160-kilometre distance between Dhaka and Mymensingh. The identical journey could now take up to ten hours. The same situation has slowly crept into the entire communications system in the country.
The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) chairman and the communications secretary were ordered last week to submit a report by October 16. The court also issued a rule demanding explanation on the failure of the authorities to ensure road safety. The rule also asked them why an order to take steps over the accidents that had taken place because of their failure should not be issued.
Dilapidated road condition, badly managed intersections, disrespect to traffic rules and overwhelming number of vehicles have not only turned the country's highways extremely dangerous but also increased travel time between the capital and the rest of the country. Most of the 20,000-kilometre network of major roads in the country has become pot-holed due to lack of maintenance for months and in many cases for years. Hundreds of kilometres of roads now require urgent repair and maintenance.
In the face of widespread criticism over the dilapidated condition of roads and highways, the chief engineer of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) resigned late last week. The RHD chief showed health grounds behind his resignation. Additional chief engineer was made acting chief engineer. Meantime, the government cancelled the weekly and Eid holidays of the officials and employees of RHD and its offices across the country until further notice. They have been asked to remain on duty during weekly and Eid holidays to monitor road repair works.
Censuring both the communications minister and the communications secretary on the issue last week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the communications ministry to start repairing the Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Chittagong highways with immediate effect so that the job is completed before Eid-ul-Fitr. She also asked the communications minister to complete repair works on 726 kilometres of roads and highways, covering 40 routes across the country, within the current fiscal year (2011-2012) on a priority basis.
Since early last week, transport owners have suspended buys services on 12 routes demanding immediate repair of the badly damaged roads. The Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to press into service 300 buses of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) to ease the woes of passengers during Eid. She ordered the authorities concerned to present a detailed report on the expenditure incurred for development and maintenance of roads and highways during the last nine and a half years.
Despite the highest budget allocation in communication sectors, why the condition of the roads is so bad remains a big question. The communication system is bound to collapse any time if the situation goes like this. Negligence of the communications ministry is widely blamed for the situation that has caused a lot of disappointment among a cross-section of people. On its part, the RHD maintained that repair work on some roads and highways were already done, but due to heavy rain they got damaged again. These roads need to be repaired again. The RHD blamed the last BNP-Jamaat alliance government and the immediate past caretaker government for the poor road conditions. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) asked the communications ministry to submit a report on its expenditure for construction, development, maintenance, renovation and repair of roads and highways since 2001, so that it can be assessed what were done during the tenure of BNP-Jamaat alliance government and the caretaker government, and during the first half of the present government.
Late last week, the Jatiya Sangsad witnessed a heated debate on the dilapidated condition of roads and highways in the country as a number of treasury bench members questioned the performance of the communications minister. They raised the issue of shabby condition of roads and highways across the country was raised in the parliament that resulted in the suspension of bus services on different routes. It was pointed out that Awami League leader Tofael Ahmed had given a statement in parliament last February about the condition of roads in the country. But the communications minister did not pay any heed to Tofael's remarks at that time, rather he ridiculed the lawmaker. Had the minister paid heed to Tofael's remarks the road condition of the country would not have turned so bad, the lawmakers noted.
Rapid deterioration of the country's road communications system is mainly due to lack of funds and investments in the sector. On the issue of fund release for repair and maintenance of roads, contradictory statements were made by the finance minister and the communications minister.
Seasoned parliamentarian Suranjit Sengupta showed a circular of the finance ministry and questioned how the finance ministry could set conditions for spending money by the communications ministry. It is the responsibility of the finance ministry to disburse the fund and the concerned ministry will prepare projects to spend the money, he said.
[Source]
Travel time between the capital and the rest of the country has risen beyond anybody's guess due to extremely bad condition of the roads. For instance, once it took a bus little over two hours to cover the 160-kilometre distance between Dhaka and Mymensingh. The identical journey could now take up to ten hours. The same situation has slowly crept into the entire communications system in the country.
0 comments:
Post a Comment