<i>Pedestrians run risk of accidents </i>

Students of Bangladesh Women Association School near Wasa Intersection cross a busy road risking their lives everyday due to lack of a foot over-bridge. Photo: Zobaer Hossain Sikder

Delay in constructing the much needed foot overbridge at the busy road intersections and thoroughfares forces the pedestrians, including women and children, to cross the roads risking lives in the port city.
Crossing busy road intersections and main thoroughfares during peak hours, pedestrians run the risk of falling prey to road accidents when serious gridlocks hamper movement along the main thoroughfares of the city.
Three foot overbridges in Darul Fazal Market, Reazuddin Bazar and Fakirhat areas are lying in a miserable state for around two decades.
Two other foot overbridges were constructed in front of Chittagong Export Processing Zone (CEPZ) by CEPZ authorities last year.
The old three ones are hardly used by the pedestrians. They have become unusable for lack of maintenance by the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC). The floating people have occupied the bridges.
Saifuddin Kader, a student of Southern University, said it is tough to cross the GEC intersection during the peak hours.
He said reckless driving by unskilled drivers, very often defying signals and traffic rules, causes us run the risk of accident while crossing the intersections.
Rehena Akter, an NGO official of Colonel Hat area, echoed Saif, saying the Port Connecting Road is busier than any other roads as heavy vehicles to and from Chittagong Port ply along it round the clock.
“An overbridge is badly needed in front of the Colonel Hat Bazar as children and women waiting helplessly to cross the roads is a common sight here,” she said.
Sources said CCC has taken initiative to construct eight more bridges with the financial help of private firms to ease gridlock, help smooth vehicular and public movement and enhance beauty of the city.
The authorities floated tenders and gave newspaper advertisements twice last year in this regard. The interested firms have been offered to use the foot overbridges for advertisement purposes without paying any hoarding tax to CCC for 20 years.
Initially the tenders failed to draw attention. Later, two advertisement firms, Ad Valley and Sign Pro, responded to the CCC invitation and expressed keen to set-up the eight overbridges at important intersections of the city.
They selected intersections at Badamtali of Agrabdad, Dewanhat, Tigerpass, roads in front of Bangladesh Woman Association School and College near Wasa intersection, GEC intersection, Muradpur intersection, Bohoddarhat intersection and in front of Colonel Hat Bazar.
Ad Valley proprietor Mohiuddin Bachchu told The Daily Star that they had sent estimate and design of foot overbridges for CCC approval.
CCC Revenue Officer (RO) Mohammad Shamsul Haque said the delay was due to lack of willingness among the private firms. Despite floating the tender twice last year, a very few firms collected schedules just not to submit them.
He said they have contacted some companies like mobile phone operators, banks and multinational companies. Only two companies expressed their interest and sent design estimate to them, he added.
CCC Acting Chief Engineer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said Unilever Bangladesh Limited has shown interest to construct one of the eight overbridges.
“We are scrutinising the matters related to it and hope the construction will start soon,” he added.