Danger in the darkness
It seems an errant painter has brushed the surroundings of the capital's peripheral road between Showarighat and ZH Sikder Women's Medical College Hospital with the blackish water of the adjacent Buriganga river and plunged it into darkness.
At 10:00pm when the capital's other central roads scintillate, fear of insecurity grips commuters and mishap lurks at some spots of the 5.5 kilometre stretch in want of street lights.
Risking their lives passengers use the peripheral road, popularly known as Gabtoli-Sadarghat road, on unfit buses which rarely have two headlights. Vehicles depend on the mercy of spilling radiance coming out of neighbouring residences and commercial buildings.
Wait, the story does not end here. Garbage and scrap materials are piled up along with makeshift shops here and there on the around 20 feet wide road. Even on a dry day some places remain submerged with dirty water. Law enforcers apparently leave the area when evening falls.
“At night when they (buses) pass, it seems Azrael (death angel) is passing my rickshaw,” said Md Halim, a fruit trader of Sadarghat. He resides in Lalbagh.
Due to sparse traffic for poor lighting, an eerie silence blankets some spots. Locals claim several incidents of snatching have occurred.
Near Baganbari there is an office of Bangladesh Load-Unload Sramik Federation. Its president, Humayun Kabir, said there was no streetlight between Showarighat to Mohammadpur. The road becomes quiet after 9:00pm round the week except Thursday, he added.
“The road becomes empty even at 9:00pm. Once I dared to use the road at night. It was a horrible experience. Three persons attacked me and took away my wallet and mobile,” said Maruf Haidar, a student of Jagannath University.
“Since then I have avoided the road though it is the easiest way home (in Chawkbazar) after giving lessons at a home in Patla Khan Lane,” he added.
Three passenger bus services use the road. Abir, a driver of Brothers Paribahan, said, “We have to depend on the light of shops and houses at night.”
Echoing Abir, another driver of Prottoy Paribahan, Yousuf, said due to the shortage of lights, accidents often takes place on the road.
“Stray incidents take place due to darkness. It is impossible for us to work without lights,” said a traffic inspector in the area, Saiful Islam.
“It has been a month since we informed the (Dhaka South) city corporation through a letter asking to take steps,” he added.
Md Nurullah, chief engineer, Dhaka South City Corporation, said they were aware of it. “Necessary measures will be taken soon,” he added.
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