Expansion of lanes on the four Chittagong city roads have failed to reduce traffic congestion as the expanded lanes are still occupied by makeshift shops and street-parking vehicles.
The Chittagong Development Authorities said that the four roads, stretched from Oxygen to Prabartak intersection, Firingibazar to Kotwali intersection, and New Market to Barik Building intersection and the Sagarika Road, were expanded with a cost of Tk 58 crore in last year.
CDA officials also said that they had undertaken a project with Tk 101 crore to expand three other roads stretched from Bahadderhat to Gani Bakeri crossing, Laldighi to Andarkilla intersection and Oli Kha Mosque to Muradpur crossing and they were scheduled to be completed within next few months.
Two-third portion of the road stretched from New Market to Barik Building crossing via the Ice Factory Road on Wednesday was found occupied by several hundred trucks that were using the road as a parking place.
The expanded lane contributed little in paving the way to frequent traffic movement, said the local people.
While, most of the expanded lane on the road stretched from Oxygen to Prabartak crossing was found occupied by the roadside vendors who were using the new lane as a place to pile up various materials, scrapped metals, machinery and factory refuse.
The expanded portion of the road stretched from Kotwali crossing to Firingi Bazar was found occupied by makeshift shops that left only a one third of the road for traffic movement.
CDA chairman Abdus Salam acknowledged the present situation and said, ‘Road expansions are contributing little in easing traffic congestions as major portions of the newly expanded lanes remained occupied by different quarters.’
‘The city dwellers are not getting expected advantage from the road expansions,’ he admitted, and blamed the Chittagong City Corporation as it failed to evict the illegal occupants and keep the roads free for traffic movement.
He also said they had tried to draw attention of the CCC several times in this regard, but failed.
He also said that they would conduct drives to free the roads from illegal occupation if the CCC remained indifferent in future.
Abdus Salam said that the CDA at a meeting on Thursday made a decision to serve notices to the people living or institutions situated beside the roads to keep the lanes in front of their houses and institutions free from illegal occupants.
Chittagong mayor M Manjur Alam said that they would soon hold a meeting with the street vendors and hawkers to free the roads.
He also said that forceful eviction often failed to keep the city roads free for long time.
‘We need to rehabilitate the street vendors before evicting them, so that they will not have to return to earlier places within few days,’ he said.
He also said that the CCC would conduct drives to evict the grabbers, except hawkers and street vendors, with in shortest possible time.
-With New Age input
