Commuters left to deal with potholes, garbage
The residents of Uttara Model Town have been passing miserable days for over a year as Sonargaon-Janapath Road, stretching from intersection of sector-12 to Khalpar remains potholed and laden with garbage.
Their sufferings intensify as the road submerges knee-deep under water even after a light rainfall and the water takes a long time to recede due to the lack of proper drainage system, said local people.
“It’s quite common to see people get injured by being flung on the ground as their rickshaws or motorcycles trip over the potholes,” said Md Zakir Hossain, a local businessman.
Business of around 30 shops has been badly affected as vehicles rarely ply on that road, he said.
“Sales has dropped by 60 percent as people avoid this route,” said Khokon, another local businessman.
Students are also facing horrors while commuting to and from their institutions. Shanto Mariam University of Creative Technology and Noor Habib Private Cadet and Junior High School are the two academic institutions located on that road.
Akilatuz Zahura, a second year student of the university said she had recently landed into a pool of muddy water on her way to the university as the rickshaw tripped over a pothole. “I had to attend my semester final exam in wet and soiled clothing,” she said.
Since most rickshaws refuse to take that route, students are forced to walk, sometimes even wading in knee deep filthy water in the process, said Rakibul Hasan, another student of the university.
“Even getting a rickshaw by paying double the fare is quite a feat,” he said.
“I had to spend around Tk 300 to repair my rickshaw three days ago after it collapsed after falling over a pothole,” grumbled Azizul, at the bitterness of his experience.
The university authorities have finally given in to the pleas of its students and have decided to shift to sector- 5, said Mamun, an employee of the university.
Mansur Ahmed, executive engineer of Dhaka City Corporation of zone-10 said they have already informed the Nagar Bhaban about the dilapidated condition of the road, but are yet to receive any directions from them.
The cost of repair has also risen to Tk. 4.35 crore from Tk. one crore a year earlier, he said.
“We plan to construct a road 100 ft wide interconnecting with the other sectors through a bridge,” he said.
Next week they will begin setting up a surface drain around two feet wide and three to five feet deep, at a cost of Tk 86 lakh.
The chairman of Rajuk also issued a letter to DCC months ago regarding the issue, he added.
Mayor of DCC Sadeque Hossain Khoka told The Daily Star they have already taken initiatives to repair the road.
To make the lives of the residents of that area even more miserable, a portion of that road is always piled high with rubbish, exposing them to innumerable health hazards not to mention the unbearable stench.
The DCC has been using a part of Sonargaon-Janapath Road as a secondary garbage collection point, for the last four years.
“We have been using it as we have no other alternative,” said Chan Mia, a worker at the dumpster.
He said the accumulated garbage of sectors 1, 5, 12, 11, 13, 10, 7, 9 and 14 are brought to that point from where they take it to Amin Bazar.
“We have no other choice but to tolerate the foul odour of the garbage,” said Probash, who runs a pharmacy near the dumpster.
The authorities concerned should take immediate measure to relocate the site to spare the locals of diseases, said Abdur Rahim Khan, a resident of that area.
Captain Bipanan Kumar Saha, chief waste management officer of DCC said they will issue a letter to Rajuk shortly regarding the relocation of the site.
The waste management of Uttara is done by private organisations, which do not have any proper disposal containers but simply dump the garbage on the road, he said.
“We are taking initiatives to make them more capable in managing waste,” he said.
