Battered roads impeding business for years
The DIT industrial area in the capital's Shyampur is a hub of around 200 big and small factories, but authorities have neglected its roads for a long time, impeding smooth business operations.
Drivers and commuters said goods-carrying vehicles often tripped over or got stuck in the potholes filled with dirty water; it damaged both vehicles and goods.
“There are 13 roads in the DIT area and the condition of the entire network is very bad,” said Mohammad Manik Mia, staff of a local dyeing factory. The roads have been in a bad shape for the last five years, but they have been terrible in the last two years, he said.
“How will we run business here if the road condition remains the same? It is very difficult to drive a vehicle in the area,” said Mohammad Jasim Uddin, staff of Three Star Dyeing.
Rickshaw-van puller Billal often finds his vehicle damaged, especially during waterlogging.
“I have to spend Tk 600 to Tk 700 to repair my rickshaw-van once it trips over,” he said, adding that the damage to goods caused by such accidents was often worth thousands of taka.
Mohammad Sayed Hossain, driver of Shahjadi Dyeing, said he spent Tk 6,000 on Wednesday to repair his pick-up van.
He added that repairing had become a routine work because of the poor road conditions.
Fazlul Haque, administrative officer of Civic Appearance Ltd, said a new car could not run for three months on the roads, without needing repair.
If it rains for even half an hour, the roads are flooded knee-deep and become unusable, said Mohammad Jasim Uddin, staff of Three Star Dyeing.
A poor drainage system is also blamed by local people.
Accusing public representatives of negligence, General Secretary of Shyampur Kadamtali Shilpa Malik Samity Sirajul Islam said, “We often dump rubbish on the roads to keep them operable."
When asked, Shyampur Union Chairman Shafiqur Rahman said the area was not under his jurisdiction. Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) is the authority, and a road rehabilitation initiative is underway, he said.
A staff of Local Government Engineering Division (LGED), who is involved with the initiative, told The Daily Star that renovation of road nos. 1, 2, 3 started before the Eid. The rest will be repaired gradually, he said.
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