Published :
Updated :
For all latest news, follow The Financial Express Google News channel.
Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has no concrete project to ensure markings on the country's road network, which is necessary to avoid accidents.
Sources said RHD also has no record of the roads that need markings, including signs and signals.
They said usually the work of road signs and signals is completed at the time of completing a road.
"But hardly any effort is made to keep those markings painted or operative afterwards," said one of them.
RHD Chief Engineer Ibne Alam Hasan said a road safety project has been taken to ensure necessities like road markings, but it is still at initial stage.
Officials said the Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) has written to RHD several times to ensure road markings, at least on the national highways.
Due to not getting due feedback in this regard, RTHD has recently asked the chief engineer to submit a report, mentioning the reasons why work on road signs and signals is not done on a regular basis.
Prime Minister's Office also directed the ministry concerned to ensure road markings in a meeting in September.
RHD officials, however, said they are trying to ensure road markings under the regular road maintenance work periodically. Those are done while carrying out work of the need-based roads.
They admitted that not all roads are marked with signs and signals during the periodical maintenance work.
The officials said RHD has no mechanism to allot special funds for road markings.
The work of road markings is done mainly through using white colour or pattern on the roads to guide drivers, so that they can operate vehicles safely.
Road signs also help the drivers understand areas of U-turning, left or right turning, and pedestrians' movements etc.
But RHD officials admitted that poor colour painting of many road marks
RHD has around 21,000 kilometre road network, and it gets optimum budget to construct or widen new and existing roads and highways. But ample amount of money is hardly spent for maintaining road marks.
In the current fiscal year, 2018-19, the highest ever allocation of Tk 243.8 billion was given to RTHD.