A youth was arrested on Sunday (March 17, 2024) after a video of him went viral on social media where he could be seen lending ladders to bus passengers in exchange of Tk5 on a highway in Narayanganj . AKM Sharifuddin, In charge of Kanchpur Highway Shimla Police Camp, said they arrested him after watching the viral video. Risky road crossing had become a common scene in the 3.3 km area for the past two months as there were no crossing points from the long distance route's road to the regional road which is at least 24 minutes walking distance. With 3 more demises today, death toll from Gazipur gas cylinder blast rises to 6 For the past two months, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) authority has kept the crossing point at Dhaka-bound road from Kanchpur Bridge in Siddhirganj to Kuwait Plaza area closed. As a result, passengers have been crossing roads by jumping the lane's divider. According to the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), the four-lane Dhaka-bound road from Kanchpur Bridge in Siddhirganj to Kuwait Plaza area was divided into two lanes with high dividers to stop risky road crossing and to ensure long-distance vehicles' direct route to Dhaka. A gate was kept open in front of the RHD office for the movement of passengers from long-distance lanes to regional lanes, but the RHD authorities closed it two months ago. Abantika’s death: JnU students place 6-point demand Narayanganj RHD's Executive Engineer Shahana Ferdous said, they tried several times to enforce the movement of bus services in the designated service line with Highway Police, but they failed to enforce it.

In another development milestone, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday (October 19, 2023) opened 150 newly constructed bridges in 39 districts and 14 newly constructed overpasses of the Roads and Highways Department simultaneously. She also unveiled the foundation stones of 1,100-metre Kewatkhali Bridge and 1,471-metre Rahmatpur Bridge over Brahmaputra river in Mymensingh, while opened newly constructed DTCA Bhaban for Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority, BRTA Automated Motor Vehicle Fitness Test Centre of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, BRTC Bus Depot and Training Centre of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation as well as conferred the financial assistance to the road accident victims. Also read: PM Hasina denounces BNP as a terrorist party that kills people The premier inaugurated these infrastructures through a virtual platform from a programme in Sarak Bhaban in the city’s Tejgaon area. The audiences were also connected virtually from Mymensingh Circuit House Ground and BRTA Office in Mirpur. She also unveiled a mural of Bangabandhu in Sarak Bhaban, the office of Roads and Highways Department. In less than one year since the simultaneous inauguration of 100 bridges across the country, the prime minister opened 150 more bridges -- 40 bridges in Mymensingh Division, 32 in Dhaka Division, 27 in Chattogram, 22 in Rajshahi, 12 in Khulna, eight each in Barishal and Rangpur and one in Sylhet division. Also read: PM Hasina declares state mourning on Saturday for Palestinians killed by Israel Total length of the 150 bridges is 9.45km and the total length of 14 overpasses — eight in Rajshahi Division and six in Rangpur Division — is 689 meters. The 1100-metre Kewatkhali bridge, which is set to be the largest steel-arch bridge in the country, will be constructed at a cost of Tk 3263.63 crore, while the 1471-metre Rahmatpur bridge will be constructed at a cost of Tk 358 crore by June 2025. Stop race to overtake on roads: PM Addressing the function, the prime minister asked the drivers of motor vehicles to stop abnormal races on roads and tendency to overtake others unnecessarily, for preventing accidents and thus protecting the lives of the people. “We’ll have to stop the unusual competitions that take place on roads and the tendency to overtake,” she said. She stressed the need for imparting proper training to the drivers to check the unusual race on the road and change their mindset to avoid the unnecessary race. “They (drivers) should be given psychological education that it (the race) would invite damage not only to the people rather the drivers may lose their own lives as well,” she added. Hasina asked all to follow speed limit and traffic rules and allow the drivers to take proper rest. She focused on her government’s success over improvement of the country’s road connectivity, including development of highways and construction of bridges during her three consecutive regimes since 2009. On 7 November 2022, PM Hasina opened the 100 bridges in 25 districts. The total length of the bridges was 5.5km. Also read: PM Hasina urges OIC neighbours to resolve their problems through dialogue Among the 150 bridges constructed with a total cost of Tk 3,287 crore, the notable ones include Garakola and Nayarhat bridges in Gopalganj, Chapair bridge in Gazipur, Titas bridge in Brahmanbaria, Muhuri bridge in Feni, Matamuhuri bridge in Cox’s Bazar, Machrong bridge in Barishal, Tulalampur bridge in Narail, Simakhali bridge in Magura, Arialkhar bridge in Bogura, Bahagili bridge in Nilphamari, Chatak-Surma bridge in Sylhet. Eight of the new overpasses were constructed on Elenga-Hatikamrul-Rangpur Highway. The premier opened the distribution of financial assistance among the road accident victims and family members. A total of 162 victims or family members –-42 persons from Dhaka Division, 39 from Chattogram, 26 from Rajshahi, 18 from Rangpur, 11 from Khulna, 10 each from Mymensingh and Sylhet and six from Barishal division—received the financial assistance in the function. The distribution of the financial assistance among the road crash victims will continue. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Chairperson of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges Rowshan Ara Mannan and Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division ABM Amin Ullah Nuri spoke at the event, while Chief Engineer of Roads and Highways Department Syed Moinul Hasan delivered the welcome speech.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday inaugurated 100 newly constructed bridges in 25 districts of the country. The total length of the bridges is 5,494 meters and the construction cost is Tk 8,79.61 crore. Read more: Honour COP26 commitments, double provisions for adaptation by 2025: PM Hasina writes The prime minister opened the bridges through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganabhaban. Of them, 7  have been constructed in Dhaka division, 46 in Chattogram division (42 in Khagrachhari district alone), 6 in Mymensingh division, 17 in Sylhet division, 14 in Barishal division, 7 in Rajshahi division and 3 in Rangpur division. The Roads and Highways Department under the Road Transport and Highways Division constructed the bridges with the government's own fund. Read more: Forex reserves still enough to cover 5 months' imports: PM Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader spoke at the function moderated by PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus. Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri made a presentation about the 100 newly constructed bridges.

Three people were injured when a bailey bridge in Lalmohan upazila of Bhola collapsed with a stone-laden truck and other vehicles on Tuesday. Locals said the Roads and Highways Department is constructing a new girder bridge over a canal in Daori Bazar area of ​​the upazila and a temporary bailey bridge was built next to the under -construction bridge for traffic movement. Also read:Worker killed, 20 others hurt as bridge collapses in Rangamati The bailey bridge collapsed into the canal around 11am when a stone-laden truck and some other vehicles were crossing the bridge, leaving three people, including the truck driver, injured. On information, police and fire fighters conducted a joint operation to salvage truck and other vehicles. Meanwhile, traffic movement on Bhola-Char Fashion road has been suspended due to the collapse of the bridge, forcing people to cross the river by boat. Also read: Barguna: Poorly planned bridges render re-excavated canal unnavigable Md Nazmul Islam, executive engineer of Roads and Highways Department, said the bridge will be repaired by Wednesday. The present width of the 94 km long regional highway from Bhola Sadar upazila to Baburhat of Char Fashion is about 18 feet. It is being widened to 30 feet. For the development of the road, four bridges and 43 culverts are being reconstructed.

Motorists planning to drive on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway have been asked to refrain from using Langalband Bridge on the road for three days due to its repair work, starting on Monday. Read:RMG workers block Dhaka-Sylhet, Dhaka-Chattogram highways demanding salaries The authorities concerned will carry out repair work on the bridge from 8 am on Monday till 12 noon on Wednesday (July 14), said a handout issued by Roads and Highways Department. People travelling with light vehicles have been asked to use Mograpara-Kaikartek Bridge-Nabiganj-Madanpur route and those using heavy vehicles to take Kanchpur-Bhulta-Narsingdi-Bhairab Bridge-Sarail-Brahmanbaria-Cumilla as alternative routes during the period. Read: 5-km long tailback on Dhaka-Chattogram highway The Langalband Bridge will be fit for the movement of vehicles after 12 pm on Wednesday, the media release added.

Fifty-nine unions under the country’s three hill districts—Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari—will get permanent broadband internet connectivity soon as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a proposal in principle in this regard on Wednesday. As per the proposal, Bangladesh Computer Council will implement the project through Bangladesh Army awarding it a contract through direct procurement method (DPM). “The BCC will award the contract to the Bangladesh Army to implement the project,” said Shamsul Arefin, additional secretary to the Cabinet Division, while briefing reporters on the decisions of the Cabinet body. Read: Nearly half of global population still lack internet access: UN Chief The project was awarded to the Bangladesh Army considering the security risk and other relevant impediments in installing the optical fiber in remote areas of the hill tracks, he added.   The scheme will be implemented under the project titled, ‘Broadband Connectivity Setup at the telecommunication-deprived areas’ of the BCC under the Information and Communication Technology Division. However, the figure of the contract was not disclosed at this stage of approval. But it might be revealed when the project will gain be placed for the final approval of the Cabinet Committee of Public Purchase.    Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved 11 proposals of different departments under different ministries involving Tk 2,579.30 crore of which Tk 890.62 crore will be spent from the national exchequer while the remaining funds will come as loans by different financing agencies. The committee approved a proposal of the Public Security Division of Home Ministry to procure a “Vehicle Mounted Mobile Interceptor and related services” at a cost of Tk 56.56 crore from Toru Group Limited, Switzerland, whose local agent is Smart SCM Solution, Dhaka. The supplier was selected through a limited tender method (LTM) from two bidders vying for the works, according to the proposal. Two tender proposals of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) under Local Government Division also got approval of the Cabinet body. Dhaka Wasa selected China Geo-Engineering Corporation, China for its project “Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply (DESWS)” under package -1 to install 25 km refined water transmission lines from Rampura to Kachukhet via Vatara, Airport Road, Uttara, Gulshan and Banani involving Tk 589.31 crore. Read:Landslide warning: People urged to evacuate foothills in Rangamati Dhaka Wasa’s proposal to extend the time and cost of the consultant for the same project also received the approval of the committee. As per the approval, the Joint Venture of (1) Kunhwa-DDC-FCEA and (2) Vernacular Consultant Ltd. Bangladesh’s work tenure was extended up to 75 months from the existing 36 months with an increased cost of 2.71 crore against the original cost of Tk 19.85 crore. A project of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) to construct a coordinated water control structure on the Punorbhara River in Dinajpur got approval raising its cost by Tk 12 crore against the original cost of Tk 43.74 crore. A total of six proposals of the Roads and Highways Department under Road Transport and Highways Division also got nod of the Cabinet body. Of these, China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co Ltd won a Tk 743.28-crore contract for interchange construction and maintenance under the improvement of Alega-Hatikamrul- Rongpur into a 4-lanes project. Abdul Momen Limited won a Tk 601.10 crore contract for civil and maintenance works of the same project. A proposal seeking a cost rise of Tk 47.88 crore for package PW-1 of the project to upgrade Cumilla (Tomson Bridge) to Noakhali (Begumganj) local road into a 4-lane highway received approval of the committee. Its original cost was Tk 193.84 crore. The package PW-3 of the same project received a Tk 39.21 crore cost extension approval while its original cost was Tk 194.98 crore. Read:Proposals to set up 15 MW HFO-power plant in Hatiya, 40,000 SHS in hill districts get nod The package DW-05 of the Improvement of Important Local Highways (Sylhet Zone) received approval for extending the cost by Tk 16.81 crore against its original cost of Tk 186.98 crore.   The Roads and Highways Department’s awarding of a Tk 301.35 crore contract to National Development Engineers Ltd., to implement package – PW-01 of the Project for installing excel-load contract central at the transportation source points at important locations of the highways received the Cabinet body approval. The Ministry of Labour and Employment’s proposal to appoint 112 non-government organizations (NGOs) for providing 6-month long sub-formal education and 4-month skill development training to 100,000 children at a cost of Tk 160 crore received the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase.  

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Tuesday said that the construction of infrastructure will be free from the lockdown ban. He instructed everyone to follow the hygiene rules and wear masks all the time. Obaidul Quader said this at an exchange meeting with engineers of the Roads and Highways Department this morning. He joined the meeting virtually from his residence. Also read: Bangladesh’s complete lockdown set to begin on Apr 14; notification issued The Road Transport Minister instructed to move ahead with the construction work before the onset of the monsoon, adding that now is the right time to work before the monsoon. He said the road would remain empty as there was a ban on public transport on the lockdown starting from the 14th April, so the damaged road would have to be repaired at this time to make it suitable for traffic. The Minister also directed to complete the paper work of the projects which are planned to be taken up now so that the construction work can be started as soon as the dry season arrives. Obaidul Quader said that revolutionary changes have taken place in road communication in the last few years and these works need to be taken further. Also read: Follow lockdown restrictions: IGP to people The Minister urged the concerned to give top priority to the work of upgrading the Dhaka-Cox's Bazar road to four lanes. Obaidul Quader said the project to upgrade the Dhaka-Sylhet highway to four is a long-term demand of the people of Sylhet. The Minister called for solving the process of acquisition of land during the implementation of the project or before the commencement of work.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Tuesday said the number of vehicles without fitness certificates in Bangladesh is 4,81,029 as of December 2020.

Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) expressed deep shock at the death of engineer Abdus Samad, father-in-law of diplomatic reporter of The Daily Industries Rabiul Haque.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Tuesday ordered the Roads and Highways Department to remove posters and banners from the key Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.