Suffering as roads beneath the metro rail still in the dark

After sundown, the 7-kilometre stretch of unlit roads between Agargaon and Pallabi beneath the Dhaka Metro Rail have now become hot spots for nagging crimes and accidents. 

Non-motorised vehicles such as rickshaws have to navigate the patch depending on the headlights of running vehicles or the low light of roadside shops. The footpaths are also no walk in the park as pedestrians have to take a gamble on the dilapidated and broken walkways.

The much-awaited section of the metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon was launched on 28 December last year. The Pallabi station was also opened on 25 January. Following the inauguration, the repair and renovation of Begum Rokeya Sarani is now almost complete. But the road is yet to get back the street lamps it lost during the metro construction.

Dhaka North says it is now working to float the streetlight tender, while commuters cry for more police patrols until the lights are installed as snatchers are on the prowl.

Runu Akhter and her son were coming to Agargaon from Farmgate by a rickshaw around 9pm on Saturday last week. As they reached the Agargaon Meteorological Office, snatchers attacked them and took away Runu's bag which had Tk60,000 cash, passports of the family members and mobile phones.

"If the road was lit, this could have not taken place," weeping Runu told The Business Standard at Taltola.

Abid Hossain, a resident of Mirpur's Shewrapara, regularly commutes the route. He said he fell into a drain while walking on the dark footpath.

We had been suffering for years thanks to the unplanned metro rail construction and road digging. Now even after the inauguration, it seems the woes are not over," he told The Business standard.

Ismail Hossein, a driver, said repair work is still ongoing in various parts of the road, hence one needs to be extremely cautious when driving at night. "The problem is you cannot see far enough. The range of car headlights cannot provide enough details about what lies ahead."

Md Rafiqul Islam, superintending engineer (Electricity) of Dhaka North City Corporation, said they are working on the streetlight tender and the lights are expected to be installed soon.

In reply to the query whether the lights are yet to be installed even after the metro rail inauguration, Rafiqul's explanation hinted at red-tapeism. He claimed the work is not running behind the schedule, rather they are on the right track.