Rajabazar roads not in kingly state

A gaping hole on an alley in Rajabazar. A manhole used to be there, which broke, but the authorities concerned are yet to fix it keeping people in constant danger of accidents. Photo: Amran Hossain

Uncovered manholes coupled with battered roads and poor drainage system in the capital's Rajabazar cause untold sufferings to hundreds of residents in the area.
Very often, especially at night, vehicles and rickshaws are trapped into the manholes leaving passengers injured and creating traffic chaos in the locality.
A few days back locals on their own initiatives filled up the potholes on some of the roads with rubbish to prevent accidents and make driving safer.
Locals said even a light shower results in water-logging on the roads that have remained out of repair for years.
Many roads at West Rajabazar, Tollabagh and Sukrabad are in a very poor condition, said Sultan Khan, a resident of Tollabagh.
Water and Sewerage Authority set up a storm sewerage line in the area about six months ago but it proved ineffective in solving the problem of water-logging, he said.
Dhaka City Corporation, responsible for maintenance of the roads, is yet to repair the dug-up roads making a ride on them very risky, said Sher Ali, a resident at West Rajabazar.
Shahid, owner of a small tea stall, said water gets stagnated on the roads if it rains even a little in the area.
"My shop went under four feet water after a heavy downpour a month back causing me a loss of Tk 30,000," he said.
Moreover, three manholes remain without lids in front of houses 58/A-2-Ka and 59/A at West Rajabazar and 24/3/1 at Shukrabad posing serious risk to pedestrians and commuters.
Vehicles often get trapped in the manholes leaving many passengers injured, said Alauddin, a resident of the area.
The Kathal Bagan Bazar road, dug up by the Wasa during the tenure of the last caretaker government, is yet to be repaired.
The road was in a good shape two years back but running vehicles on it has become risky now, said Mozammel Hossain, a resident of Kathal Bagan.
Many roads at Karwan Bazar area are also in a bad shape. The road dug up by Wasa near the kitchen market about three months back has not been repaired yet by the DCC.
The road stretching from Karwan Bazar underpass behind the Bashundhara City Complex to Green Road has also remained in a dilapidated condition for a long time.
The lanes from Green Road to East Rajabazar Mosque and Shadhanpara still remain out of repair.
Ahmed Ali Shah, DCC executive officer of Zone-6, said despite completion of necessary procedural work, they could not start repair of the roads at West Rajabazar due to torrential rain.
"We shall start repair work after the rainy season," he added.
Abul Hasnat, DCC executive engineer of zone-5, said they dug up the road at Kathal Bagan to lay a storm sewerage line.
"We dug the road to check the old drainage pipeline. After digging it, we found that the pipeline has to be replaced," he said.
The engineer said they would replace it under a project awaiting approval of the DCC mayor.
They hope to start the work in the dry season, added Hasnat.