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A number of mega projects have been implemented in the country's communication sector during the past few decades. But experts opine that not much economic benefits could be derived from those despite facilitating transportation, mainly due to lack of a comprehensive plan for the sector. As pointed out by Professor Hadiuzzaman of BUET in a recent article, fragmented planning greatly hinders the realization of full potential of mega projects. He cites the example of Karnaphuli Tunnel, where only one-fourth of the predicted traffic is using the tunnel, thereby causing huge losses to the government exchequer. Another example is the Jamuna Bridge, which was opened to traffic in 1998. The two-lane connecting-road of the bridge has to be upgraded to four-lanes now, which shows the shortsightedness of the original feasibility study. Besides, there are also examples of expensive highways getting spoiled fast due to non-utilisation of climate-resilient technology and poor quality of used materials.
There were allegations galore during the rule of the deposed autocrat regarding unnecessary projects in the communication sector, routine escalation of time and expenditure in such projects, and lack of allocations for subsequent maintenance of newly constructed roads cum bridges. Moreover, excess expenditure had to be incurred in the construction cum maintenance projects owing to political interferences, poor capacity of the chosen contractors, lack of transparency and accountability, as well as corrupt tendencies among the implementing agencies. Flyovers were constructed to ease traffic congestion, but in reality, huge gridlocks were created at their entry and exit points, as grid-separated interchanges were not built for easing traffic-flows at those points.
Many experts hold the view that the first step in reforming the communication sector should be capacity-enhancement of the Planning Commission and its manning by qualified and professional planners. The commission should have the capacity to minutely analyse projects and prepare farsighted plans. Besides, modern concepts like multi-modal intelligent transport system, wider application of artificial intelligence, automated electronic toll collection system, structural health analysis, overload control etc. should be incorporated in project documents in keeping with evolving times. The infrastructure quality should be such that it caters to the needs of safety, sustainability, and automation. Scientific procedures should be introduced in central traffic management system that can predict and control traffic movements. Attention should also be paid to construction of new and sustainable expressway networks having high-speed arterial configurations and obstruction-free interchanges that can control entries and exits of traffic.
The issue of land-use is often neglected when infrastructures like roads, flyovers, and expressways are built. In the absence of a strong land-use policy, even robust roads become hazardous after four to five years due to loopholes in controlling land-use. As a result, illegal shops and bazaars crop up beside the roads soon after construction, which poses threat to their durability. Besides, provision for drainage of rain-water is also crucial, and this needs to be accommodated in the land-use plan. Wide road-dividers in the middle can be helpful in this regard.
What is needed most is preparation of a countrywide masterplan by considering all modes of transportation, including roads, railways, and waterways. Coordination among the relevant ministries is vital, but it is quite complex and challenging. For example, the roads and highways division has been building roads for facilitating speedier movement of vehicles; on the other hand, the industries ministry is supporting the manufacture and assembly of motor-cycles inside the country for industrial growth. But nobody is taking the responsibility for the rise in rate of accidents. If the overall situation is considered, then it becomes apparent that our highways are not yet ready for high-speed motor-cycles. The data on highway accidents involving motor-cycles also point to the weaknesses in relevant policies. Therefore, policy coordination among concerned ministries and divisions is quite vital.
Alongside framing a coordinated masterplan for the country's roads, water, and railway networks, a national taskforce comprising communication and infrastructure experts can be formed for overseeing its implementation. For the citizens of Dhaka, metro-rail has been the first truly rapid mass transportation system. For making it more affordable, time-saving, and cost-effective, it needs to be integrated with other road-based mass transportation networks. Expected results with regard to reducing traffic gridlocks can be obtained through this initiative if high-quality feeder-connectivity can be established with five or six metro-rail lines by 2030 under a masterplan.
The poor state of the country's railway network is mainly attributed to lack of skilled manpower and modern equipment, as well as loopholes in the signalling system. A large number of engines and coaches are very old, and many locomotives have become obsolete. Besides, the signalling system differs from place to place - computer-based interlocking system in some segments, manual interlocking in others, and even British era system in a few. These make the train movements quite hazardous due to risk of collisions. Urgent steps should therefore be taken for introducing a unified railway signalling system across the country.
The challenges faced by the water transport sector include lack of fitness of many launches and ferries. Besides, there is dearth of navigability in many waterways, unholy competition at many spots due to lifting of sands from the rivers, and inadequate dredging at many waterways owing to corruption and mismanagement. Unexpected accidents occur frequently due to absence of proper supervision. Therefore, the administration and management of water transportation system should be overhauled for improving the situation.
Another area that needs attention in the transportation and communication sector is inadequate research on various aspects of the sector. For example, regular research is needed on sustainability of communication networks and cost-effectiveness of maintenance. Although there is a research laboratory under the roads and highways department, it lacks qualified and professional researchers. Moreover, as is practiced by developed countries, 1 to 2 percent of the budgetary allocation for the communication sector should be set aside for research and development. Concepts like alternative railway-based mass transportation systems like mono-rails and light rail-transit system should also be considered under a masterplan for the sector.