In this connection it is stated that Road # 11 of Banani is a commercial road having 60'-0" width with a heavy traffic load in it. Gulshan Road # 41 & all connecting roads with it leading to Gulshan Avenue are narrow. Due to construction of six storied buildings in Gulshan and for commercial use of many buildings, a sizeable width of the road is often occupied by vehicles apart from the normal high traffic thereon. Presently, traffic load is very high in these inner roads. Traffic jam is also common in Gulshan Avenue due to unplanned commercialization, as there is no adequate parking space in most of the commercial buildings. Sometimes it takes more than half an hour to pass from Circle-I to II and vice versa. Moreover, in the absence of parking space in Gulshan Avenue vehicles are parked in the adjoining inner roads (No 37, 39, 44 etc) making it very difficult to negotiate.

It is learnt that after completion of Dhaka Urban Transport Project (DUTP), the government has approved a plan for improvement of Dhaka Metropolitan City Transport as Strategic Transport Planning (STP) project. This covers both traffic and environment in planning and implementation of future Dhaka city transport system. As such in the design and implementation of the bridge over Gulshan-Banani Lake the entire prevailing traffic system of Gulshan should be taken into account, instead of a single bridge only at the end of Road # 11 in Banani. Without making any traffic survey of the adjoining areas it is not understood how such a costly 4-lane bridge is being constructed. Such a piecemeal, haphazard and unplanned construction may cause adverse effects in the ailing traffic system of Gulshan Residential Area. Under such circumstances if traffic of Banani Road # 11 (coming from Airport Road) is diverted to Gulshan Avenue through the residential area of this part of Gulshan via Road # 41, there will be terrific traffic chaos in the quiet locality and smoke dust and sound will affect very adversely the quietness (already affected) of the residential area and the residential character of the locality will be completely lost.

Moreover, the construction of the bridge will endanger the security of a major part of Gulshan and also cause further pollution of the lake which is very important from the environmental point of view.

It may be mentioned that in August 2001 the DCC (Dhaka City Corporation) started construction of a bridge at this very site. When the local residents learned about this a representation was made to the then Chief Adviser of the then caretaker government in September 2001 with signatures of a large number of local residents for stopping it. The government after proper examination of the case stopped the bridge construction.

We appeal to the government to have this examined in the light of the STP (Strategic Transport Planning) guidelines.