Build Dhaka East-West Elevated Expressway, relocate kitchen markets: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed officials concerned to build the Dhaka East-West Elevated Expressway quickly so that passenger buses and goods-carrying vehicles from different districts can commute swiftly without putting a pressure on Dhaka traffic.  

She also instructed relocating wholesale kitchen markets including Karwan Bazar from Dhaka to its outskirts like Keraniganj and Aminbazar to avert traffic congestion in the capital, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said on Sunday.

"Both northern and southern districts will be able to use the Padma Bridge as the 62-kilometre expressway with ramps stretching nearly 23km will be connected to Dhaka-Mawa highway. No buses will have to enter Dhaka city after building the expressway," the secretary told journalists at the Secretariat after the cabinet meeting.

The government last year approved a proposal in principle to implement the Dhaka East West Elevated Expressway project on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis.

The route of the proposed expressway is Hemayetpur-Nimtoli-Keraniganj-Ekuria-Janzira-Fatullah-Hajiganj Bandar-Modonpur on Dhaka-Chattogram highway. The interchanges of the expressway are proposed at Hemayetpur, Dhaka-Mawa Highway, Narayanganj and Dhaka-Chattogram highway.

Khandker Anwarul Islam said the development project proposal of the expressway is underway.

The cabinet secretary said he does not think the Padma Bridge will be opened to motorcycles before Eid-ul-Azha on 10 July.

"We will install artificial intelligence security cameras and speed guns. Then we will make a decision on motorcycles. But I do not think it will happen before Eid," he said.

On 27 June, the Bridges Division closed the Padma Bridge to motorcycles until further notice to avoid congestion and reduce road mishap risks. The decision came following the death of two people in a motorcycle accident on the Padma Bridge on the first day of opening for traffic.

Khandker Anwarul Islam said the cabinet on Sunday approved the draft of Family Court Act aiming to replace an ordinance of the military regime with some minor changes.

As per the proposed law, the government can consider not only the court of district judges but also the courts of other judges' equivalent to the district judges as appellate courts for family feud cases, he said.

The draft of Bangladesh Dairy Development Board Act was placed in the meeting with a view to ensuring the quality of dairy milks through providing technical support and cooling storage facilities to the farmers.

The draft law was sent back with some observations to assess whether there is any duplication of other related laws through consultation of all stakeholders within the next two months.

The cabinet also cleared a proposed agreement to be signed between Bangladesh and Brazil immediately so that the diplomats and officials of the two countries can visit the countries with just on-arrival visas.