Malodour chokes Mohammadpur

Two big dumpsters on the capital's busy Jakir Hossain Road near Town Hall in Mohammadpur not only adds to the traffic rush there but also spreads bad odour making life miserable for residents and commuters.

"Every day I have to bear this unpleasant smell when I leave my house for work," said Farida Begum, who works at Labaid Hospital.

More often than not, garbage is strewn on the road and footpath making it difficult for vehicles and pedestrians to pass through, she said.

Shital Rojario, a staff of St Joseph Higher Secondary School, said the dumpsters, which are about 10 feet apart, take up a large portion of the road narrowing the space for vehicles.

Mohammad Abul Hossain Sourav, a driver, said the dumpsters are placed near an intersection so it is difficult to make turns leading to traffic congestion.

According to residents of the area, the containers were placed in the area several years ago.

"It is a really bad practice of the authorities to put rubbish bins on a busy road," said Jakir, father of a student of Lalmatia Girls School.

Mezbahul Karim, superintendent engineer of Dhaka North City Corporation, which has jurisdiction over the area, said around four months back, they sent a letter to the National Housing Authority requesting them to handover their land behind Town Hall to set up a waste transfer station.

"If we get the land, we will immediately start working to set up a transfer station there and remove the bins," he said.