Hatirjheel's comfort lost in prolonged utility work

Lingering digging on the Moghbazar to Rampura section of Hatirjheel Link Road – once considered a peaceful oasis in chaotic Dhaka traffic – has now become a nightmare for the commuters. 

Three months have passed since digging started on 12 March despite the project having a two-month tenure.

There is no end to the work in sight as the messy civic work on the service lane of the one-way road continues at a snail's pace. 

The Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) is installing 132 KV underground cable by digging a utility duct along about 3km of the road on the southern side of Hatirjheel Lake.

Rajuk Chief Engineer (Project and Design) ASM Raihanul Ferdous told The Business Standard that the work has been delayed due to the Ramadan holidays. Besides, it took time to get permission from the police.

"We have urged the DPDC to complete its work quickly so that the road can be repaired without any more delay," he mentioned.

Photo: Md Jahidul Islam

State of the road

During a visit to the area on 21 June, the service lane from Hatirjheel's Mohanagar Project gate to Rampura was found dug up to lay electric cable pipe.

Even though the power line installation has been completed from the Moghbazar section to the Mohanagar Project area, the road has not been repaired.

As a result, vehicles are forced to use one lane causing unrelenting traffic jams, especially during office-commuting times in the morning and evening.

On top of that, soil, brick and sand were seen piled on the footpaths, causing inconvenience to pedestrians.

A signboard in the area advises people to avoid the road but does not mention when the work will end.

Sajib Ahmed, a motorcyclist who regularly uses the road, told TBS that it takes more than one and half hours to go from Rampura to Gulshan on this road during office hours in the morning. 

Photo: Md Jahidul Islam

"The entire road is jammed. When it rains, the road in Moghbazar becomes difficult to travel due to the sand and dirt left behind," he said.

Hasnahena Begum, a resident of Rampura, told TBS that it is not possible to walk even on the sidewalk due to the mud. 

"The area has become suffocating due to dust," she said.

Unplanned digging in Hatirjheel

Architect and urban expert Iqbal Habib who worked as a consultant since the beginning of the Hatirjheel project told TBS that the utility work will make the lakefront road more beautiful as it will remove electricity poles and replace them with underground power lines.

However, he acknowledged that if the utility duct had been installed at the beginning of the project, there would have been no need to dig a new one.

"The government was under economic stress at that time," he said.

Moreover, the size and duration of the project would have been much larger if utility ducts had been laid for the DPDC's high-voltage cables, he said. 

He also said that coordination with other service providers could have been done before taking up this project. 

Photo: Md Jahidul Islam

Chief Engineer Raihanul Ferdous told TBS that since there are no houses in the Hatirjheel area, the duct is not so important for other government agencies. 

"There is no possibility of gas or water lines going under the road so it is not included in the plan," he added.

Hatirjheel project

Since the Hatirjheel project was taken up, the size of the project has been increased step by step for better civic amenities and making it future-proof.

However, a utility duct was in the plan for the Tk2,000 crore Hatirjheel project. 

This ongoing digging for underground power cables also doesn't have any other future utility projects. As a result, this road may be dug again for the development of water or gas distribution. 

The government approved the Hatirjheel project in October 2007. Time and cost gradually increased to Tk2,236 crore.

Under the project, 302 acres of reservoir and land have been developed, including an 8.8km expressway road, 9.8km service road, four bridges, four overpasses, three viaducts and 2 u-loops.

The Hatirjheel project was awarded the "2020 Great Places Award" in the "place planning" category by the US-based Environmental Design Research Association.