Be careful while constructing roads: PM to authorities
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today directed the authorities concerned to be careful while constructing roads so that natural flow of water during rainy season are not blocked by those structures.
She also asked them to work in co-ordination with Water Resources Ministry.
The premier gave several directives including these one at the meeting of Executive Committee of the National Economic Council at the Planning Ministry, Planning Minister Abdul Mannan later informed reporters about it.
These directives came at a time when experts blame poor planning ahead of road construction and ignoring impacts of climate change as the main reasons for floods causing so much damage to roads.
According to the directives, flood usually causes more damage to roads in Bangladesh as roads and highways are often built blocking natural flow of water. When a road is built in this way, more culverts are needed, but engineers take this carelessly.
More than 1,000km roads under Roads and Highways Department (RHD) was affected by flood this year while 5,015km of roads were affected by two floods in 2017.
Mannan said prime minister asked to construct required number of culverts to ensure free flow of water, Mannan said. The premier also asked the authority to construct elevated roads in haor areas so that water can flow beneath it, he said.
Sheikh Hasina asked to plant trees beside roads and embankments and include expenditure of tree plantation in total project cost, the minister said.
The prime minister asked to install all electricity lines underground. Works to take all electricity lines underground have already started and will be completed in phases, the planning minister said.
The ECNEC yesterday approved 12 projects at the cost of Tk 3470 crore.
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