DEE and metro rail

Photo: Prito Reza / Driknews

Amid the negative news in the front page of The Daily Star of 14th December, the best positive news appeared in the back page. It read, 'Italian-Thai venture gets expressway job.' We heartily congratulate the present government for the decision and we hope that the construction work will start soon. When completed, the 26 kilometer project will ease traffic congestions to a great extent. However, the Dhaka Elevated Expressway (DEE) will not solve all our traffic problems. The DEE will be mostly used by the motorised vehicles- cars, buses, etc. Then what options are offered to the non-motorised vehicles? The government should address the needs of all sections of people.
Mass Rapid Transit system in the form of metro rail will be the best solution for the common mass. Metro rails have been constructed in Kolkata, Delhi, Bangkok, Tehran, and many other cities of the world. I, along with many others, have written many times about the necessity of metro rail and its obvious advantages. Somebody needs to bell the cat and start negotiations about metro rail project. While we are enthralled at the news of DEE, we will be doubly happy when the metro rail project receives the green signal from the government.
We hope the present government will seriously consider metro rail as a priority project, accord due importance and act towards its implementation. Only then will Dhaka be a liveable city again.