Construction of new footbridges is going on while many of the existing footbridges in the capital are mere death traps with their badly damaged stairs.
Pedestrians have alleged that most of the existing footbridges have become unfit for use and almost ruined by hawkers, floating people and drug addicts when the city corporations are constructing new footbridges in the capital within a short distance.
The Under Clean Air and Sustainable Environment project which started in June 2009, the then Dhaka City Corporation had planned to set up 25 new footbridges.
CASE project has two components — environment and transport.
The Department of Environment is implementing the environment component whereas Dhaka City Corporation and Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority are implementing the transport component of the project.
Md Mofizur Rahman Khan, executive engineer of the portion of the CASE project under the Dhaka South City Corporation, said among the 25 bridges, they had decided to construct 23 as local objected to the selected sites.
He said of the 23, they have completed construction work and one year maintenance period of only five footbridges located at NAM Garden, Sukrabad Bus Stand, Banani Chairman Bari Crossing, Norda Baridhara Bus Stand and Dar-US-Salam Apartment.
Mofizur said very soon they would hand over the five completed footbridges to the city corporation zonal offices.
The construction of eight footbridges would be completed by the next year and the construction of 10 footbridges is going on, he said.
The executive engineer said for per footbridge the estimated cost was Tk 1.5 crore. Among the 23 new footbridges 13 would be installed in the DNCC and 10 in the DSCC areas.
Mofizur said all these would be constructed with imported goods rather local products and maximum height of the staircases is four inches whereas the height of the staircases of normal footbridges is six inches.
During a visit, two footbridges were found in the Bananai area under this project while at Kakoli work is going on to set up another footbridge having escalator in one side of the road and staircases on the other side.
However, at present, the Dhaka South City Corporation has 33 footbridges and the Dhaka North City Corporation has 54, many of which are not usable in the absence of maintenance.
Tawfiq Ali, a resident of Suritola, complained that the bridges were set up spending a huge amount but later there was none to take care of them.
The footbridge of Moghbazar-Mouchak-Banglamotor-Ramna intersection was seen completely occupied by floating people.
Tarana Haque, a housewife of Eskaton, told New Age that it was irritating even to walk over this footbridge as people who live on the bridge wash their utensils and make the staircases filthy.
Dhaka South City Corporation estate officer Shamsul Alam said their responsibility ends as soon as a bridge is constructed and opened to public.
He said it was the duty of the adjacent police station to keep the footbridges free from hawkers, beggars and floating people.
Dhaka South City Corporation chief engineer Md Zahangir Alam slammed the decision of the project officials for setting up footbridges within so short distance.
-With New Age input
