Sylhet city no longer free from traffic jam
Seldom was traffic gridlock seen in Sylhet city in the past, but now it has taken such a severe turn that commuters are often heard castigating it for their failure to reach destinations on time.
The major causes identified by residents include inadequate parking lots in buildings, indiscriminate parking, encroachment and occupation of footpaths, and protracted negligence of the authorities concerned.
According to Sylhet City Corporation (SCC), there are 52,000 buildings in the city, and among them, 10,000 to 15,000 buildings (both commercial and residential) have no parking lots.
During a recent visit to the city's different areas, this correspondent found 20 minibus, 12 human hauler and 30 auto-rickshaw stands built on roads, and most of which are not, according to SCC, authorised.
Moreover, excessive traffic mobilisation, encroachment of major footpaths by vendors and hawkers, and lack of awareness among drivers are not less responsible for the gridlock.
Razib Rasel, a resident, alleged that the authorities have taken no heed of the problems for many years despite being aware of them, compelling them to unbearably suffer.
Apart from the causes aforementioned, the residents also said because many educational institutions and restaurants built beside major thoroughfares have no parking lots of their own, people park their vehicles on the roads, intensifying the sufferings.
While talking to this correspondent, Nikulin Chakma, additional deputy commissioner (traffic) of Sylhet Metropolitan Police, agreed with the residents on the causes, adding that collectively efforts need to be undertaken by the city corporation, district administration and police so as to purge the city of the problems.
Alleging that the authorities had never taken the problems seriously, Faruk Mahmud Chowdhury, president of the Sylhet chapter of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), said, "Now is the time to heed and solve them."
"SCC asked all to make sure their buildings have adequate parking spaces while constructing them," he said, adding, "Though many keep on violating the instructions, the authorities are now in oblivion."
"We are permitting the construction of buildings only after getting assured that they have adequate parking spaces," said Enamul Habib, SCC chief executive officer (CEO), underlining the need for bringing the old ones that have no parking spaces under the building code.
Conceding that they were yet to take steps with regard to parking lots, he said, "We have taken serious actions against indiscriminate parking and occupation of footpaths. Our work is going on to reconstruct the roads narrowed."
The CEO added that they along with the district administration and traffic department of police would shortly take all-out measures to mitigate the gridlock woes.
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