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Revival of graft cases: BNP leaders say it’s a tactic to derail anti-govt movement
While the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has recently been gearing up its anti-government movement defying all sorts of obstacles, party leaders say the government is reviving some pending cases against the leaders and activists with a motive to derail the movement.
Some BNP leaders and lawyers say authorities may send some party leaders to jail to convey a message to the opposition party that they would not be spared ahead of the next general election.
But the government repeatedly denied such allegations by BNP in the past, saying that authorities do not influence courts.
Read Over 20 injured after police obstruct BNP volunteers’ march in Port City; 10 detained
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a member of BNP’s Standing Committee, told UNB that the government has become “very nervous” over the overall social, political and economic situation while there is pressure from the international community to restore democracy through an inclusive and credible election.
“The government has been failing to stop people’s participation in our rallies despite carefully-orchestrated obstacles against us. So, the government is desperate to reinforce their repressive acts to suppress us,” he said.
“But it’s clear from our recent successful rallies that such a political tactic will not work,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court cleared the way for a lower court to continue the trial involving graft charges against BNP Standing Committee Member Mirza Abbas. The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed the case in 2007 on charges of amassing wealth illegally.
Read Bus owners threaten strike on Nov 4, 5 in Barishal ahead of BNP’s rally
The trial proceedings against Khandaker Mosharraf on charges of siphoning off Tk 90 million are also set to enter its final stage. The ACC filed the case in 2014, accusing him of making money illegally when he was the health minister from 2001-2006.
The ACC has also started an investigation against nine other people, including Standing Committee members Nazrul Islam Khan and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, for suspicious transactions before the 11th parliamentary elections.
Lawyers loyal to BNP say the trials of many cases against BNP leaders and activists are going on with lower courts in Dhaka and elsewhere.
BNP says around 36 lakh BNP leaders and activists are now facing over one lakh cases. They say the charges are politically motivated.
Read: Thousands join as BNP’s Khulna rally starts earlier than scheduled
Healthcare system rocked by Corona struggles to cope with dengue
With the nation's healthcare system still only recovering from the blow of the Coronavirus pandemic, many hospitals in the city including Dhaka Medical College Hospital are struggling to provide treatment to the rising number of dengue patients due to a shortage of beds.
In scenes reminiscent of the country's worst-ever dengue outbreak in 2019, many patients suffering from dengue fever were seen receiving treatment on floors and balconies as hospitals ran out of beds to accommodate them.
Visiting various areas in the city, UNB found a number of medical facilities including Holy Family Hospital, Mugda Medical College and Hospital, Bangladesh Shishu Hospital & Institute, Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Kurmitola General Hospital treating patients on the floor, as all the beds in the respective wards have been filled with patients being treated for the mosquito-borne disease.
Read: 409 new Dengue patients hospitalised in 24 hrs, no death
Last Sunday (Oct. 23), the number of daily hospitalisations reported by the Directorate General of Health Services crossed 1000 for the first time this year, from 922 the day before. Hospitalisations did drop back down as the week progressed, to reach 750 on Wednesday.
The number of infections may start to fall in the first week of November, said Dr Nazmul Islam, Director of the Disease Control Department of DGHS.
Recently, the number of dengue patients has increased across the country. But the fatalities can be considerably reduced if patients go to the doctor at the right time, he said. He also said that dengue has increased due to climate change. Besides, the mosquito-borne disease has increased this time due to the lack of awareness also, he said.
Read Dengue Fever: Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention
A seasonal shift
The current surge in cases and deaths is indeed recent. Authorities reported the first death from dengue this year with nearly half of it gone, on June 21. After that there were 9 deaths in July, and 11 in August, but the situation really started exploding in September, that witnessed a spike in the number of deaths to 34.
October has been the second-deadliest month for dengue ever witnessed in Bangladesh, with 65 people dying from the disease in just the first 26 days of the month.
Public health expert Dr Mohammad Abdus Sabur Khan said that although dengue intensity usually decreases in September, this time the situation has reversed.
Read Food, Drinks during Dengue: What to consume, what to avoid
“It’s October now, but dengue is showing no sign of retreating. It seems like dengue will prevail till mid-November this time,” Khan said.
“Creating awareness among the public is a must to rein in the dengue menace. We’ve taken various steps in this regard,” Health Minister Zahid Maleque told UNB.
He went on to name three hospitals - Dhaka North Corporation Hospital, a new unit of BSMMU, and Lalkuthi Hospital - that have been kept ready to deal with any emergency. Many might say the emergency is already here, especially in light of the kind of October we have witnessed.
Read Adequate measures taken for treatment of Dengue patients: Health Minister
Tiger Conservation Project sees slow progress
The tiger census in the Sundarbans, which was scheduled to begin in October and got delayed for slow pace in fund approval, is expected to begin in the beginning of the next year, said officials at the Forest Department.
The Planning Commission approved the allocation last week, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarsbans west zone and project director Abu Naser Mohsin told UNB.
“Now we can get the money once the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry releasesthe fund. Efforts are underway for quick disbursement of the fund,” he said.
Read: Sundarbans to have 4 more eco-tourism centres
According to the Forest Department, the 'Sundarbans Tiger Conservation Project’ was approved in March this year with an estimated cost of Tk 35.93 crore and counting tigers at a cost of Tk 3.26 crore is a part of the project.
This project work was scheduled to start this month, but it fell into uncertainty as the Planning Commission delayed to give its nod for fund allocation for counting tigers.
Tiger counting will start upon release of the fund but it is not possible to tell exactly how much time will be required for the work of the Ministry, said the project director.
Under the current project, 200 specialised cameras will be used. Moreover, some 90 cameras used in the 2018 census will also be utilised, said Mohsin.
Other activities in the project would include the training of 340 members of 49 village response teams and 185 members of community patrolling groups.
“At least two tigers will be fitted with satellite collars, which will help us monitor parasite attacks on them and diseases. We will collect this data, analyse and publish a report as part of the project,” said the forest official.
Two observatory towers will also be established and firefighting equipment and drones will be used under the project as every year some tiger habitats get destroyed in sudden forest fires during the dry season, he said.
A 60km-long fencing will be raised along the villages adjacent to the forest areas as tigers often sneak into human habitats, according to the forest department.
Twelve mud fortresses will also be built in the forest areas where wild animals can take refuge during natural calamities like cyclones.
“The project has a provision for temporary appointment of 12 expert consultants for conducting training, survey, data collection, analysis and preparing reports. Also, all the research and survey work under the project will be recorded as a documentary,” said Mohsin.
According to the last census in 2018, there were 114 tigers in the Sundarbans. The figure was 106 in 2015.
Read: Sundarban tigers: Inbreeding leads to generation of weak, diseased cubs
After 2017-18 no tiger census was conducted in the forest which is the only habitat of Royal Bengal Tigers in Bangladesh.
On March 23, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change gave its nod to the project.
In the light of Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan (2009-2017), 2010 World Tiger Conference commitments, Second Tiger Action Plan (2016-2027) and Global Tiger Forum decisions, the Ministry approved the Tiger Conservation Project aiming to collect updated information on tigers in the country and to preserve and increase the number of tigers in the Sundarbans.
Dengue menace to continue till mid-November: Experts
The gradual increase in dengue infection has created panic among the residents of Dhaka city. Hospitals are failing to cope with the pressure of dengue patients despite setting up new wards. Patients are dying within just three days of getting admitted to hospitals.
A total of 89 people have died of dengue till October 15 this year. Doctors of Dhaka Shishu Hospital said that 119 children have been admitted with the disease in the first 12 days of this month. While visiting various hospitals in the city, UNB saw that people were lying on the floors due to a lack of hospital beds.
Doctors and health experts say that measures taken by the city corporations and other authorities are not proving to be effective. The publicity and drives carried out by the authorities to destroy larvae of Aedes mosquito, the carrier of the dengue virus, are appearing to be inadequate.
Read: DSCC to launch special five-day anti-dengue drive Sunday in five wards
“Creating awareness among the public is a must to rein in the dengue menace. We’ve taken various steps in this regard,” Prof Dr Ahmedul Kabir, Additional Director General (Additional DG) of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), told UNB.
“Most of the casualties from dengue are happening outside Dhaka city. People aged between 40-50 years are the worst victim of this disease. It’s taking only three days for dengue patients to die from this disease,” Kabir added.
Public health expert Dr Mohammad Abdus Sabur Khan said that although dengue intensity usually decreases in September, but this time the situation has reversed.
Read:Dengue: Fatality rate far exceeds year of deadliest outbreak
“It’s October now, but dengue is showing no sign of retreating. It seems like dengue will prevail till mid-November this time,” Khan said.
Khan added that the under-construction buildings are the primary breeding grounds of Aedes mosquito.
“City corporations are conducting drives at people’s houses. But the construction sites are always covered by fences. As a result, the authorities can’t reach these places and thus the dengue menace goes on unabated,” added Khan.
Read 506 new Dengue patients hospitalised
Dr Nazmul Islam, Director of Disease Control Department of DGHS, described the activities that his institution was carrying out to prevent dengue.
“We do two things. Firstly, we prepare the hospitals for dengue treatment by keeping the doctors and the health care workers updated through training. Secondly, we conduct surveys in the two city corporations of Dhaka and submit the report to the local government authorities. According to our survey this year, the dengue epidemic has hit both the south and the north equally,” Nazmul said.
Nazmul added that dengue infection increases when the number of mosquitoes rises. He termed the current measures taken up by the authorities as a loss project as the breeding grounds of the Aedes mosquitoes still exist.
Read Dengue claims 55 lives since June 21: DGHS
According to the DGHS, a total of 24,326 people have been affected with dengue till October 15 of this year, while the number was 28,429 in 2021.
The highest number of people infected by dengue was in 2019, when a staggering 1,01,354 people were infected with the virus.
The same goes for mortality caused by dengue. In 2019, a record 179 people had died of dengue, while the figure has been 89 to date this year.
Read Dengue death toll rises to 63 with two more deaths: DGHS
Dr ABM Abdullah, an Emeritus Professor and the personal physician of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, provided some guidelines to fight dengue.
“First of all, if anyone is infected with dengue, he has to consult a doctor and start taking medicines according to the prescription. Some people tend to think that a mild fever won’t do any harm. This line of thinking must be discarded. People suffering from fever must test themselves, and if dengue is identified in someone, he has to be admitted in hospitals immediately,” Abdullah said.
Selim Reza, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), claimed that they’re conducting drives to weed out dengue from localities, although he couldn’t justify why they’re being unable to conduct drives at construction sites.
Read Why do Mosquitoes bite me so much?
Farid Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), said that they’ve fined numerous building owners for not cleaning stale water, the place where Aedes mosquitoes lay eggs.
“Mass awareness is necessary to fight Dengue. If the people are aware then Dengue won’t be able to do any harm,” Farid said.
External debt widens, economists say ‘worrisome’
Bangladesh’s foreign debt in both public and private sectors has increased by 2.65 billion to $95.85 billion in April-June quarter, raising concern over external debt repayment obligations, economists say.
They say such an increase had never happened earlier and it would have a severe impact on the forex reserves of Bangladesh, which is already under pressure from deteriorating global economic situation.
The economists say careful austerity measures and their proper implementation in spending money from foreign reserves should have been in place for at least next two years as an acute recession looms large in the Western world.
Read: Bangladesh has one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios: Finance Minister tells ADB
According to Bangladesh Bank (BB) data, the external debt, both in public and private sectors, reached $95.85 billion in June 2022.
This includes $59.9 billion in long-term debt in general (government) sector, but no short-term debt. But short-term debt in other government sectors climbed to $2.89 billion and has a higher interest rate, BB data revealed.
The external debt in the private sector is $25.95 billion, where the short-term debt is $17.75 billion and the short-term trade credit is $11.96 billion.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, economic analyst and distinguished fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), told UNB that external debt increased alarmingly by $2.65 billion in the last quarter of the fiscal year 2021-22, which has never happened before.
This has also led to an increase in total debt as a share of GDP. For example, total debt-to-GDP ratio increased from 15.5% in FY20 to 16.9% in FY21, according to Economic Relations Division data.
Dr Debapriya pointed out that there are two distinctive features of the said increase.
He said the increase in debt obligation is comparatively more driven by public-sector borrowing while external borrowing has been accruing on account of short-term borrowing.
“One wonders for which public sector projects such costly foreign loans were accessed,” he said.
Dr Debapriya underscored that the exchange rate risks associated with these external loans is increasing rapidly.
He said the taka depreciated by around 20 percent against the US dollar in the last three months (July-September 2022) in the country, increasing the external debt repayment burden in terms of Taka.
The interest risk may also increase in the coming months as global financial market is raising the interest rate in the face of increasing inflation, he said adding that the next two years are very crucial for the domestic economy in the context of the global turmoil.
“So, the government should refrain from costly borrowing by withholding new development projects requiring such funding,” he said.
Read: Bangladesh’s foreign debt flow down by 24.38% in July-Aug: ERD report
Dr Debapriya said notwithstanding certain level of export revenue and remittance inflow growth, the deficits in trade balance and in the current account are widening.
“In such a situation increasing external debt servicing liability will further aggravate the challenges of the domestic economy,” he said.
Economist Abu Ahmed, a former professor of economics at the University of Dhaka, said the domestic economy of different countries, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Argentina collapsed due to the impact of external debt.
The experts of the government policymakers are driving policy toward the wrong paths, their projection on export growth is not realistic, considering the global economic situation, he said.
“If the government is not aware as a precaution, terrible economic turmoil may hit Bangladesh, while the trade gap is becoming wider, the balance of payment and current accounts are also in disfavour,” Prof Abu said.
According to data from the Economic Relations Division (ERD) Bangladesh's external debt repayment obligation will double in the next three years.
The country repaid over $2 billion in external debt in FY 2021-22 and the amount is projected to double and cross the $4 billion by FY2024-25.
The ERD, however, said the external debt has been rising in absolute terms, but it has been declining as percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP).
The ERD's debt sustainability analysis said Bangladesh's external debt stood at 12.94 percent of the GDP in the 2020-21 fiscal year, down from 13.36 percent in FY20 and 14.71 percent in FY19.
The ERD officials also said the government should be cautious while choosing the loan currency and payment currency.
Mechanical engineer finds fortune in growing rock melons, becomes inspiration for local farmers
Sheikh Foysal Ahmed, a mechanical engineer of Garfa village in Mollahat upazila under Bagerhat district has achieved success by cultivating and selling rock melon, a fruit quite popular in Bangladesh and overseas.
After earning a degree in mechanical engineering, Foysal worked at two private companies in Dhaka for ten years. In 2021, he decided to leave his job and returned to his village — getting engaged in agriculture.
Read:Bagerhat fruit farmer eyes foreign markets to expand thriving business
Foysal started with watermelon cultivation in 2021 but did not see any profit from it, rather he counted a loss of Tk 10 lakh.
Later, he decided to switch to rock melon.
In January, this year, Foysal started rock melon cultivation by planting 3,000 seeds on 40 decimal of land commercially and after two and a half months, he earned Tk 4.5 lakh by selling the juicy fruits in the local market.
Currently, he is cultivating rock melons on six bigha of land, and has made Tk 15 lakh this season by selling those.
Seeing Foysal’s success, many farmers in the area have started growing rock melons.
Foysal now aims to export the juicy fruits.
During a recent visit to the village, this UNB correspondent saw Foysal busy at work, looking after his rock melon patch. The bright yellow colour of the fruit has become an attraction for locals.
Crisis of seeds putting Aman cultivation at stake in Barguna
In Barguna, a shortage of Aman seeds has erupted as incessant rains have washed away most of the seedbeds of the district.
Agricultural lands of the farmers are lying idle as they are failing to manage Aman seeds for implantation.
This crisis is causing distress for the paddy growers as they are frustrated over how they will survive.
According to Barguna Water Development Board (WDB), 477mm of rainfall had been recorded the last week of July. Besides, another 100mm of rainfall drenched the coastal district throughout August. Rising levels of water caused by these two bouts of rain has submerged most of the Aman seedbeds of the district.
Farmers said that those few seedbeds that were prepared on comparatively higher grounds remained unaffected by rainwater. These seeds are being sold at a rate of Tk 200 per kg, which isn’t enough to meet the demand. As a result, much of the agricultural land in Barguna will remain uncultivated this year.
Also read: Flood damages Aush paddy on 56,000 hectares of land
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) of Barguna district, the government has targeted to cultivate hybrid, high-yielding and local variants of Aman Paddy in a total of 98 lakh hectares of land, which will be missed if the ongoing seed crisis persists.
DAE sources said that Aman is the primary crop for the coastal people. The Department assists farmers in their cultivation by supplying Aman seeds. Among the total cultivable land in Barguna, BR, BRRI and BINA variants of Aman paddy are produced in 55 percent of land while local variant of Aman is cultivated in the remaining 45 percent of land.
Abu Hossain Hawlader, a farmer from Barguna Sadar, expressed his disappointment for not being able to cultivate paddy this year.
“I had prepared seedbeds in two acres of land. The water in the fields has ebbed and the time has come for planting the seeds. But all my seeds have rotten due to heavy rain. The time for preparing new seedbeds is also gone. That’s why I won’t be able to harvest any paddy this year,” Hawlader said.
In Barguna district, the highest amount of Aman paddy is produced in Amtali upazila. While visiting many Aman-producing areas of the upazila, UNB found that most of the fields were lying idle as farmers couldn’t plant Aman paddy due to a shortage of seeds.
“We have prepared our land for Aman implantation, but all of our seeds have been wasted by rainwater,” said Abdul Jabbar Mridha, a peasant from Kaunia village of the upazila.
Abu Sayed Md Jobaydul Alam, Deputy Director of Barguna District Department of Agricultural Extension, expressed his helplessness in tackling the crisis.
“Seedbeds getting wasted due to heavy rain is a natural calamity. We had tried to deal with the situation by supplying seeds to the farmers and advising them to choose high grounds for preparing the seedbeds. But all of our strategies have failed. There’s nothing to do now except admitting the fact that our target for Aman production won’t be met this year,” Jobaydul said.
Caretaker Govt: To be, or not to be?
As opposition BNP says it is determined to boycott the next national polls of Bangladesh under the current Awami League government, it is framing almost the same old formula for a non-partisan caretaker government in the light of the revoked 13th amendment to the constitution.
But the constitutional experts say there are some legal barriers to restoring the caretaker government based on the 13th amendment as the Supreme Court declared it illegal. On the other hand, the ruling party has rejected the demand for restoring the system outright.
They, however, think bringing back the caretaker government or a polls-time government system by any name is possible only based on political consensus.
Read No more caretaker government in Bangladesh: Law Minister
They also say the next election is also possible under a polls-time non-partisan government even without any prior constitutional amendment like the 1991 general election if only the major political parties can reach an understanding.
Political analysts are also hopeful about a consensus among the major political parties about an inclusive 12th parliamentary election as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said her government wants all political parties to join the next polls.
But BNP is firm on its decision not to join the next polls unless there is a non-partisan government while the ruling party is determined to hold the polls following the constitution.
Read CEC refuses to comment over demand of caretaker government
The first caretaker government was installed in Bangladesh in 1990 under then Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed based on political understating without any prior constitutional amendment.
On March 26, 1996, BNP passed the 13th amendment to the constitution introducing the caretaker government system in the face of fierce movement by the Awami League.
But the caretaker government system was abolished through the 15th amendment in 2011 as the Supreme Court struck down the 13th amendment to the constitution as illegal.
Read Will have tea with you if you accept demand for caretaker govt
On Thursday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said their party is preferring the caretaker government formula in accordance with article 58(B) (C) (D) that were included in the Constitution through the 13th amendment.
Eminent jurist Shahdeen Malik told UNB that formation of a caretaker government in Bangladesh based on the 13th amendment will not be lawful since the apex court declared it illegal.
“If even the constitution is amended based on the 13 amendment, anyone can file a case with the court challenging its legality that will ultimately create legal complications,” he said.
Read Election can't be fair amid unrestrained violence: GM Quader
“But it is now a million-dollar question as to how the caretaker government system can be restored lawfully. It’s not impossible to find out a suitable solution if only the major political parties reach an understanding,” he observed.
Malik, also a constitutional expert, said Justice Shahabuddin could become the head of the caretaker government without any constitutional amendment as political parties had an understanding in 1990.
He also recalled the election of 1954 held in then East Pakistan where the United Front, led by Awami Muslim League, got a landslide victory by bagging 228 seats out of 309 ones. ”This election was held under the home ministry of the then Muslim League government as there was no Election Commission in place. So, everything is possible if there’s an agreement among the political parties in the greater interests of the nation.”
Read BNP-Jamaat fielded '300 cadres' as local government election officers ahead of 2007 polls: Joy
Dr Asif Nazrul, a law professor at the Dhaka University and a constitutional expert, said political issues can be solved in two ways--through political negotiation or through a mass movement.
“The caretaker government was established in 1990 following a mass movement and later BNP included it in the constitution, showing an attitude of compromise in the face of Awami League’s movement in 1996,” he said.
Dr Asif said there is scope for someone to challenge if the constitution is amended to reinstate the caretaker government. “But if there is political consensus, no problem will arise. So far no one has challenged how Justice Shahabuddin became the head of caretaker government beyond the constitution just because of political consensus.”
Read Anti-govt Movement: BNP initiates 2nd phase of talks
Meanwhile, Law Minister Anisul Huq said there is no scope to go back to the caretaker government system in Bangladesh as the apex court of the country has declared the system illegal.
Many other ruling party leaders and ministers, including Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, have long been saying that BNP’s dream of restoring the polls-time government will go in vain.
Dhaka’s traffic chaos: Officials have no answers
Banker Sarwar Hossain is anxious every morning as he becomes very tense five days a week before starting for his office in Motijheel from his home in Uttara.
“Sometimes it seems to me that I am just wasting my life. How can I do my job efficiently if I spend hours on streets everyday? Sometimes I spend up to four hours on streets to go to my office and come back,” he said. “Being painfully stuck in traffic is taking its toll on my mental health. It’s really painful.”
Read:Gridlock from Uttara to Mohakhali: Dhaka traffic paralyzed
It’s not the story of Sarwar only. Commuters in the capital city, Dhaka, are frustrated and angry for the city’s daily traffic chaos, which also costs the economy millions of dollars every year.
With 18.10 lakh registered vehicles in Dhaka alone and with a population of over 22 million such a chaos is expected in a megacity where traffic management is still rudimentary and road infrastructure is dilapidated.
According to a 2018 study by BUET’s Accident Research Institute, Dhaka traffic wasted 5 million work hours and cost the economy BDT37,000 crore in the year. According to other work done by the government’s BIDS and Dhaka-based thinktank Policy Research Institute (PRI), approximately 6 to 10 percent of the country’s GDP is indirectly lost to traffic chaos every year.
Because of ongoing construction of metro-rail, bus rapid transport (BRT) and broken footpaths and dilapidated roads traffic chaos has reached its peak in recent months.
Officials involved with such projects or traffic management can’t say when this chaos will end.
The worst traffic chaos has been disrupting people’s movement on Tongi-Banani Road via Uttara and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport areas for months.
Many people have missed their flights due to traffic chaos on this route. Sometimes, it takes about two hours to cross the airport area alone, and if someone’s luck is bad, two to three hours won’t be enough to reach Paltan or Motijheel via this way.
Mohammed Raihan, another resident of Uttara, goes to the Bangladesh Secretariat from his home to attend his office everyday.
“On rare occasions, I can make the journey within 1.5 hours from Uttara to my office. But it depends on the road being free of traffic. Most of the time, I get stuck at the airport area, in Banani and Tejgaon for hours,” said Raihan.
Some other routes where traffic jam has reached an unprecedented level are Tejgaon-Farmgate-Shahbagh-Dhanmondi, Gulshan-Banani-Badda-Kuril and Gulistan-Paltan-Motijheel.
Md Ferdous, who goes to Paltan from Bashundhara Residential Area for work, said that it takes at least two hours for him to make the journey if he leaves early in the morning.
“Even two hours isn’t enough sometimes to travel this distance after 10:00 am. Badda, Mouchak and Paltan intersections-these are the points where getting stuck for indefinite periods has become a common experience,” Ferdous said.
Read: As work week ends, rain spells traffic woes for Dhaka dwellers
Md Munna, a regular commuter on Mirpur-Motijheel route, echoed Ferdous.
Traffic officials have no good news to share on whether it would end soon despite their optimism about taking up some measures to ease the problem.
Md Munibur Rahman, Additional Commissioner (Traffic) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said that following traffic rules and driving vehicles in a disciplined way can lessen the traffic congestion in the city.
“Chaotic driving, parking vehicles at undesignated places and taking passengers from the middle of the roads are some of the reasons why traffic congestion happens. Besides, development works at some parts of the city are also adding to the problem,” said Munibur.
Munibur added that only traffic police won’t be able to tackle the traffic situation, rather people should fix their mindsets for finding a solution to the crisis.
To ease the traffic situation, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has decided not to allow parents to use private cars for dropping off their children to schools.
“We’ve decided to start school bus service to discourage the use of private vehicles. At first, we’ll start the service experimentally at four schools and we’ll go for the rest if our experiment works,” Atiqul said.
The Mayor added that private cars parked beside roads is the main reason for traffic congestion in some areas.
“Using private vehicles will decrease if we can earn the trust of the parents. Besides, the kids will develop strong social bonding while going to schools together, which is very important,” Atiqul added.
Farid Ahmad, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), said that they’re taking coordinated steps to put an end to the traffic problem.
“Both DSCC and DNCC have reached an agreement to bring the buses that ply on Dhaka streets under a single transport company. This will lessen the risky competition between the bus drivers to a great extent. Also, efforts are on to develop the traffic system of the city,” said Farid.
But banker Sarwar is not happy with the answers.
"These statements will not end our pain anytime soon. All these measures are half-hearted and will not address the problem at all,” he said with frustration.
More development projects planned to support trade, investment
With a view to building better transport and road infrastructure that would support industry and trade in the country, the government is working for construction of more elevated expressways and large bridges integrating existing bridges, flyovers, highways and tunnels. While economists say the construction of the 6.51-kilometer Padma Bridge at an estimated cost of $3.6 billion would benefit the country’s $500 billion economy, the government’s policymakers are now keen to move ahead with more infrastructure projects that would consolidate the country’s ability to embrace both domestic and foreign investment more.
Read: South Korean firm to collect toll from Dhaka-Mawa Expressway for 5 years
The policymakers say they are inspired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s courage and leadership that helped the nation overcome all the challenges to build the Padma Bridge with own funds. The opening of the bridge in June has connected the country’s second largest Mongla Seaport to make it a vibrant hub for exports and imports while at least 21 districts in the southern and southwestern regions have been networked with Dhaka. According to an official document seen by UNB, authorities are pushing hard to complete the ongoing projects while taking up new schemes is also being considered. The document says the construction of 3.32-kilometer Bangabandhu Shiekh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the Karnaphuli River is about to be completed and the tunnel is expected to be opened by December 2022. In addition, the construction of 46.73-kilometer Elevated Expressway from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kutubkhali on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway is in progress. About 78.94 percent construction work of the first part (Airport-Banani) has already been completed. The physical progress of the entire project is 43.60 percent, the document says. On the other hand, 69 percent of construction of 20-kilometer Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has been completed while the work on the Airport to Mohakhali is progressing. Land acquisition for 24-kilometer Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway project from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Savar EPZ via Ashulia is underway, it says. Besides, feasibility study for construction of a bridge over Meghna river on Bhulta-Araihazar- Bancharampur road, construction of Kalabadar and Tetulia bridges on Barisal-Bhola road, a two-storey road from Mithamoin Cantonment to Marichkhali in Karimganj upazila of Kishoreganj district are underway. Besides, feasibility study for construction of a tunnel under the Jamuna river is going on. The document says that the government has adopted a time-bound Action Plan to build an integrated metro-rail system of 129.901-kilometer (68.729-kilometer long elevated and 61.172-kilometer long underground) with 105 stations (52 surface and 53 underground) under the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), comprising six metro rail lines to reduce traffic congestion and improve the environment of the Dhaka Metropolitan City and surrounding areas by 2030. Following this action plan, the construction of the first ever metro rail system from Uttara 3rd phase to Motijheel, which will be 20.10-kilometer long with 16 stations, is at the final stage.
Read:Chinese firm CCCC tipped for toll collection, maintenance of Bangabandhu Tunnel
In the meantime, Metrorail has completed its trial run from Uttara 3rd phase station to Agargaon successfully. This part is set be launched for commercial use by December 2022. The remaining part from Agargaon to Motijheel is expected to go on commercial operation by December 2023. Later on, it will be extended by 1.16 kilometers from Motijheel to Kamlapur. Besides, detailed design works of Southern Route of MRT Line-5 and Northern Route of MRT Line-1 are about to be completed. According to the document, the government has also taken up a plan to introduce MRT system in Chattogram city. In the last 13 years, the government has implemented 357 road development projects and taken up 448 new projects. At the same time, 173.20 kilometers of National Highways have been upgraded to 4-lane or above. Work is also underway to upgrade 914.84 kilometers of highway to 4 lanes or above, it added, Recently, construction of the Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway and the Gazipur- Tangail 6-lane road have been completed and opened to traffic. Besides, work for upgradation of the Elenga-Hatikumrul-Rangpur highway and Chattagram-Cox’s Bazar highway to 4 lanes are almost completed. Construction work has also begun to upgrade the Dhaka-Sylhet highway to 4 lanes. At present, 26 projects under the Road Transport and Highways Division are being implemented.