Although several hundred passenger sheds were built on the roadsides of the capital city Dhaka, the commuters are deprived of having desired facilities as many of those sheds located in various wrong points.
The city dwellers alleged that these passenger shades are now being captured by the snatchers, drug addicts, smugglers, floating people and some others by the hawkers. Most of the shades are also being used for commercial purposes. Many illegal billboards were set up on the top of the sheds.
Sources said there is a provision in the construction bond that the responsible authorities will look after the passenger sheds. But in reality there is none to look after. Even in many places permanent shops were set up inside the passenger shades, they said.
A DCC official seeking anonymity said many sheds have been captured by the local ruling party grabbers. “Some cases have been filed against them in this regard. We are trying to rescue all the sheds,” said the official.
Though the rainy season has been going on, it has been raining intermittently almost every day. As a result, the commuters have to suffer either from rains or from sizzling heat only because of the absence of passenger sheds, said the aggrieved dwellers.
Source said about 167 passenger shades were constructed in different points in the city in 2007, the biggest number at a time. But very few of them are nearer to the bus stoppage. As a result, people before catching a bus cannot take rest setting in the sheds.
A passenger sheds in front of Eden College at Azimpur was built about 300 feet from the bus stoppage.
Mousomi Akhter, a student of the college said that the passenger shade should have been constructed nearer to the bus stoppage. But here, she said, the situation is a total reverse.
“We are to undertake innumerable sufferings during rains and in hot summer. Even we cannot take shelter in the shades as the stalkers and floating people always gathered there,” she said. At Nilkhet there is a passengers shade but that also far away from the bus stoppage.
Similarly, another passengers shade was built attached to the Panthokunja Park at Bangla Motor but all the time it was captured by the floating people.
Robiul Ahsan, a student of Titumir College said when there is a heavy rain many people have to run for safety.
There are passenger shades at Gulshan Lake, Badda Guderaghat and Khamar Bari but there are no bus stoppages at those places. A shade was also constructed at the west side of the Notre Dame College but that is also far away from the bus stoppage.
Monir Hossain, a student of the college alleged that in the evening the drug addicts and the hijackers crowded there. So people cannot take shelter there for safety reasons.
On the other hand, Farmgate, Paltan, Motijheel, Malibagh, Moghbazar and Mirpur are the busiest points of the city but there are no shades to stand for a few minutes.
Ashrakunessa khanam, a school teacher was standing on the road in heavy hot spell yesterday at Farmgate for boarding a bus. Talking to this reporter she said the authorities should build at least one passenger shade for the people in each of the busiest points.
The city dwellers opined for whom these hundreds of passenger shades were built. Are these for drug addicts, snatchers and hawkers or for the conveniences of the commuters.
