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Repeated, haphazard road digging by various agencies and delays in repairing those dug-up roads have long been a chronic problem in Dhaka. In recent months, however, the situation has worsened, particularly in Dhaka South, seemingly due to the prolonged administrative deadlock at Nagar Bhaban over the mayoral controversy. Numerous roads across the city have remained in a dug-up condition for months, and with the onset of the monsoon, they have become virtually death traps.
Take, for example, the Mugda-Manda area, where the main road as well as various other small roads were dug up for widening and laying underground utility lines. Similarly, the main road from Dakhin Khan to Begunbari Bridge in Sabujbagh area has remained in an excavated state for nearly a year. While residents welcomed the development work, considering the need for better infrastructure and utility services, the excessive delay in completing the projects has left them in a dire situation. After the initial digging, many of these roads have been abandoned in a broken, unusable condition for months, with no sign of repair. Vehicles are barred from using these roads due to the ongoing construction, forcing locals to walk long distances or take lengthy detours for their daily commutes. Worse still, no one knows when the torment of this delayed development work will end.
A photograph published in Saturday's issue of this paper gives a glimpse into the suffering of city dwellers, which shows a motorcycle overturned on a dug-up road on RK Mission Road in the Tikatuli area of Dhaka South. Besides, rickshaw wheels frequently get stuck in open pits, and pedestrians are seen tripping over loose soil and debris. Besides the risk of accidents, the consequences of unrepaired roads include heightened air pollution, severe traffic congestion, business losses, and difficulty in transporting critically ill patients to hospitals from the affected areas. Is anyone held accountable for excavating the city roads and leaving them in a dug-up condition for an extended period?
The 2019 Road Excavation Policy outlines that excavation should be done in small sections, work must be completed within 15 days, roads should be reinforced with sand and bricks immediately, and debris must be cleared within 24 hours. Furthermore, the policy requires that both the road and its surface drains be cleaned thoroughly once the work is finished.
However, these policies are hardly enforced. While utility service providers such as WASA, DESA, and Titas Gas claim they pay advance fees and secure permission before digging, the responsibility of repairing the roads lies with the city corporations. But the city corporations procrastinate, leaving the roads in disrepair for extended periods.
Even more troubling is the complete lack of coordination among the various agencies digging up the roads. It is not uncommon to see the same stretch of road being dug up by multiple agencies, one after the other, due to the absence of any central coordinating authority. As recent news reports inform that the Badda Link Road to Norda-Baridhara stretch was repaired just a month ago, and surprisingly, another agency is now digging it again. This kind of mismanagement is not just frustrating, it's outrageous.
In addition, deadlines are routinely ignored. A recent report highlighted that WASA began digging a road on Bepari Lane in Bara Moghbazar three weeks ago, with a completion deadline of two weeks. However, only half the work has been completed so far. Meanwhile, the roadside pits and rubble continue to cause severe inconvenience to commuters, pollute the environment, and intensify gridlocks.
There's also a darker side to this saga. Allegations are rife that dishonest contractors and officials benefit from this continuous cycle of digging. The more they dig, the more they earn. Public inconvenience seems to matter little.
The people had high hopes from this post-uprising 'new Bangladesh', but their hopes are now dashed as corruption in various government offices and local rent-seeking continue unabated. It is high time the government took a decisive action. A central coordination body must be established to regulate and monitor all road excavation activities in Dhaka, which should be empowered to ensure compliance with the law, streamline project scheduling, and hold agencies accountable for delays and negligence. Without a clear strategy and strict coordination, Dhaka's roads will remain trapped in an endless cycle of digging and disorder, while the people will continue to suffer.