Transport owners suspend plying vehicles on battered Dhaka-Mymensingh highway<\/strong>
\n<\/a>Transport owners yesterday suspended indefinitely the bus service on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, citing the road has become impassable.
\nCratered, the 120-km highway gets waterlogged even in moderate rain. The heavy downpour for the last few days has made things worse, as potholes at many points have turned into ditches.
\nThis is the first time the owners have gone on strike demanding immediate repair of the highway.
\nBuses on 12 routes to Mymensingh,\u00a0Netrakona, Kishoreganj, Sherpur and\u00a0Jamalpur will be off the road\u00a0until the condition improves.
\nOnly a few trucks and private cars plied the highway yesterday. Some were seen stuck in knee-to-waist-deep water at different points.
\nThe suspension of bus service will mean sufferings for the weekend home-goers and those who need to commute between the capital and the five districts regularly. It will also affect communications between Dhaka and part of Gazipur district.
\nSelim, a cloth trader in Mymensingh town, was planning to come to Islampur in Dhaka yesterday, but he had to cancel the trip, as the road link was snapped.
\n\u201cWe go to Dhaka at least thrice during Ramadan to buy clothes for our shops. If the road condition remains the same, we will surely make a loss in our Eid business,\u201d he told our Mymensingh correspondent.
\nThe condition of the road is worst at Tongi Mill Gate, Board Bazaar, Malek’s Home, Bhogra Bypass and Mawna of Gazipur, and Seed Store and a few other points in Bhaluka of Mymensingh, reports our Gazipur correspondent.
\n\u201cThe road is simply not suitable for vehicles to run,\u201d said Mohammad Abul Kalam, president of Mohakhali terminal transport owners association.
\nHe added that it should not take more than two days to repair the heavily damaged portions of the highway to make it fit for at least some days. Adequate traffic personnel should be deployed to ease vehicular movement during repair work.
\nMeanwhile, a three-member committee led by the communications secretary visited the highway yesterday to determine what should be done to ensure uninterrupted movement of vehicles before Eid ul-Fitr.
\n\u201cWe will act immediately after the committee submits its report,\u201d Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain told The Daily Star.
\nThe ministry will also sit with the transport owners so that they withdraw the strike, he said.
\nMomtazuddin, president of Mymensingh transport owners association, said, \u201cIt is the failure of the communications ministry that it could not yet repair the road.\u201d
\nHe alleged the ministry did not disburse the maintenance funds to the contractors in time, and that is why the highway has yet to be repaired, reports our Mymensingh correspondent.
\nIn recent months, the number of passengers has come down sharply as the usually three-hour Dhaka-Mymensingh journey now needs eight to ten hours, said Robiul Hossain Shaheen, secretary general of Mymensingh transport owners association. Besides, maintenance cost of vehicles has shot up due to the potholed highway.
\nDespite losses, the association had continued the service so that the public did not suffer, he added.
\nIn Gazipur, transport owners, workers and commuters blame the district’s Roads and Highways Department for the sorry state of the highway.<\/p>\n

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Courtesy of The Daily Star<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Transport owners suspend plying vehicles on battered Dhaka-Mymensingh highway Transport owners yesterday suspended indefinitely the bus service on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, citing the road has become impassable. Cratered, the 120-km highway gets waterlogged even in moderate rain. The heavy downpour for the last few days has made things worse, as potholes at many points have turned … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[883],"yoast_head":"\n