Strong words were exchanged in the Parliament on Sunday as BNP lawmaker Monirul Haque Chowdhury (Cumilla-6) accused Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam of recycling the "bureaucratic rhetoric" of the previous government instead of addressing urgent safety concerns on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway.
Raising a notice under Section 71 on matters of urgent public importance, Chowdhury drew the House’s attention to what he described as a "death trap" at the intersection of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway and the Cumilla-Noakhali link road.
He criticized the installation of "monstrous" illegal barricades and the lack of underpasses and service lanes at seven key points, including Tomchom Bridge.
The BNP MP expressed deep frustration after the Minister’s reply, which focused on long-term plans and budget constraints.
"I am more disappointed by this statement than ever before. The Minister is repeating the same lines used during the Awami League era," Chowdhury said. "I’ve heard this ‘Rabindra Sangeet’ (melodious but repetitive talk) many times. Just let us die in peace."
Chowdhury further alleged that the Minister was merely reading from a script prepared by secretaries and those who had "looted money" from past projects. He questioned why 1,500 crore BDT was spent instead of the sanctioned 700 crore BDT, and why promised overpasses from the 2014 era remain non-existent while lives continue to be lost.
In his response, Road Transport Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam defended the government’s stance, citing the limitations of inheriting ongoing projects.
He informed the House that the government is currently prioritizing public works over land acquisition to keep costs low.
The Minister highlighted a new plan to upgrade the Dhaka-Chattogram highway to 10 lanes.
"Once the 10-lane project is implemented, the Paduar Bazar U-loop will be integrated into a major intersection featuring five underpasses," Alam stated, adding that this would eventually resolve the traffic chaos and accidents in the region.
Regarding the MP's immediate concerns, the Minister noted that he had already dispatched the Secretary and relevant officials to the site to take "visible steps" to mitigate the danger.
When Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad questioned whether these measures would fully solve the lawmaker’s grievances, the Minister admitted, "It will be a partial solution for now."
The session took a brief cinematic turn when an unidentified MP was heard shouting "Bagher Baccha" (Son of a Tiger) without a microphone, praising Monirul Haque Chowdhury’s fiery criticism.
Chowdhury concluded by demanding compensation for the families of those who have died at the site since 2014, slamming the "barricades" that he claimed were erected during the controversial elections of the past decade.