Roads hardly exist

This road in Senpara Parbata of Mirpur in the capital has garbage dumped on the side, mud in the middle and a drain too to make it unusable for any vehicles. Photo: Anisur Rahman

A loaded pushcart struggled for at least half an hour to cross only 50 yards and that too with the help of locals, as the road it was passing through was extremely rough and rutted.
The road is located behind Shah Ali Market in Senpara Parbata. Like this one, many more run-down streets of the locality have remained neglected by the authorities concerned over the last five years adding woes to local residents.
Like Senpara roads, different roads of Shewrapara, Kazipara, Pirererbagh and Barobagh are also in a very bad state.
Hasnath, a resident of Kazipara Aroplane Goli, said the residents of the area have been suffering for quite a long time for the poor condition of the road.
The Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) damaged the road while setting up a storm sewerage line about one and a half years back and since then it had never been repaired, he said.
Shamsul Haque, a resident of Barabagh, said the roads from Barabagh Bazar to Manipur School and Barabagh Bazar to Barabagh Church are in dilapidated condition.
"Over the last ten years the roads have never been mended causing huge sufferings to the locals," he said.
Kartik Chandra Ghosh, a resident of Shewrapara, said the roads from Shewrapara to Bangla College via Pirerbagh and from Shewrapara to Kalyanpur via Pirerbagh are so bad that rickshaw pullers are reluctant to pass through it, not even for double the fare.
Dhaka Wasa at the fag end of BNP government set up a storm sewerage line digging the road but since then the road had never come under repair, said Biplob Chakrabarti, owner of a dispensary of Shewrapara.
If there is a moderate rain the road goes under ankle to knee-deep water and the rainwater takes at least one day to recede.
As the road is rough and narrow the traffic congestion is a regular phenomenon and it intensifies during water-logging, he said.
The road at 36 Barobagh has an uncovered manhole in front of a shoe shop posing a huge risk for pedestrians.
Rajib, a worker of the shop, said every day most of the vehicles plying the road are trapped into the manhole and to avert the danger locals planted a bamboo in it as a warning but it too was stolen at night.
Executive Engineer of zone-7 Arifur Rahman said they had already submitted proposal to the Nagar Bhaban for its renovation and it is under consideration.
He said they are going to get around Tk12 crore and very soon they will carry out repairs.
Out-of-repair roads will come under renovation when they receive more fund, he added.