80pc repair work done
Communications Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday claimed that 80 percent of the repair work of dilapidated highways had been done while his self-imposed deadline to complete the task expired the day before.
"The remaining 20 percent will be completed by today or tomorrow," he told reporters during a visit to Moghbazar intersection in the capital.
Referring to the deadline set by himself, the minister said, “If anyone sets a target of seven days, it should not be expected that hundred percent work will be done by the time.”
Quader on July 12 announced that all the highways across the country would be repaired by July 20 to ease vehicular movement ahead of Eid to be celebrated on July 29 or 30.
The minister criticised some media reports published yesterday along with photos showing the poor condition of different highways.
"Today, I have seen that some media published photos taken three years ago,” he said, but the newspapers claimed those had recently been taken.
Obaidul also termed those reports politically motivated.
All the highways will be fit for smooth vehicular movement before Eid rush begins on Thursday, he said.
However, some national highways, especially Dhaka to Chittagong and Dhaka to Mymensingh, are still in a bad shape. There is a lot more to do to make the roads usable ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
Repair work that has so far been done is feared to become useless if it rains. In that case, thousands of people will have to suffer immensely while travelling outside Dhaka to spend Eid holidays with their near and dear ones.
Talking to reporters at Mawa intersection in Gazipur, the minister said those who would fail to complete the task by the deadline would be punished after Eid.
He also expressed satisfaction over the progress of repair works at different spots of Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) continued selling advance tickets for the second day yesterday.
Ticket counters at Kamalapur Railway Station opened at 9:00am. Like the previous day, hundreds of people were seen waiting in queues for hours. Some had been waiting since Sunday midnight.
Advance train tickets are being sold only from the station where a person can buy a maximum of four tickets.
Train tickets for July 24 and 25 were distributed on Sunday and yesterday, while tickets for July 26, 27 and 28 will be distributed today, tomorrow and on Thursday.
Dhaka railway police, meanwhile, held 17 people for their alleged involvement in selling tickets on the black market. Police were interrogating them, said Abdul Mojid, officer-in-charge of Dhaka Railway Police Station.
Law enforcers also held a ticket scalper with 25 train tickets of different rail routes in Reazuddin Bazar area of Chittagong.
BRTC distributes advance tickets from its different depots across the country, including seven in Dhaka city.
It will begin additional bus services for Eid from Dhaka to different districts today. As many as 450 BRTC buses will be operated daily during the Eid rush.
Meanwhile, ferry operators of Mawa-Kawrakandi route have demanded that heavy salvage vessels be kept ready for the route during the Eid rush as ferries are facing troubles due to tidal waves and strong current.
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