Deadline now tomorrow

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday came up with a fresh commitment to make the highways fit for smooth traffic movement by tomorrow.

“Only two days are left. Whatever we want to do has to be done by Thursday when people start leaving for homes,” he told journalists while visiting a mobile court operation at Farmgate of the city.

Earlier, he had pledged to turn the roads and highways linking the capital to different parts of the country fit for hassle-free vehicular movement by Sunday last.

Then on Monday, Quader claimed that 80 percent of the repair work was completed and the rest would be done in a day or two. And yesterday, he said another two days would be needed for the job.

The minister also assured that road conditions would not create any traffic congestion ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.

However, he said, “I don't want to say that flowers are spread on the roads.”

Quader made similar assurances before the past four Eids as well. But commuters hardly found any respite from long tailbacks on way home.

He said he welcomed media reports about the road conditions. “But I do my duty. I work with responsibility … I am not here for fun.”

On Monday, he had alleged that the photographs depicting sorry states of roads that were being published in the media were three years old.

The minister yesterday said the roads are being damaged due to heavy rains and over-loaded transports. “There may be some problems due to expansion works of the highways as well.”

The Daily Star correspondents, during their recent visits, found many parts of Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Mymensingh, Jessore-Khulna and Barisal-Mawa roads and highways in damaged condition and the roads and highways department of Qauder's ministry trying to patch-up the roads temporarily with bricks, brickbats, stones and sand.