Public suffering as road work in Eskaton drags on for a year
Dhaka North City Corporation has been doing digging work on both sides of the Eskaton road for a year now
A whole year has gone by since the digging and repair work on the New Eskaton road from the capital's Banglamator to Moghbazar intersection began. It does not seem to end, though – a paradigm both familiar to and frustrating for city dwellers.
The prolonged road work is causing immense suffering to residents, commuters and traders in the Eskaton, Banglamotor and Moghbazar areas, intensifying gridlocks and anarchy to an intolerable level, according to local residents.
Dhaka North City Corporation has been doing the digging work on both sides of Eskaton Road, which has been narrowed by a flyover, to fix the water supply and drainage lines.
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Surrounded by Banglamotor, Moghbazar, Shahbagh, and Hatirpool areas, Eskaton is a residential and commercial area, housing several markets with thousands of shops and businesses.
Heavy vehicles are required for transporting wholesale and retail goods to these markets every day, but transportation has become a serious issue due to the lingering repair work, according to traders in the area.
They say that apart from the goods transportation issue, they are also witnessing a decline in the daily business with fewer customers showing up than before.
Safin Kazi, a motor parts trader in Eskaton, told The Business Standard (TBS), "The goods in my shop are heavy. It is not possible to carry them by hand separately. I have to bring them directly in front of the shop by pickup vans or trucks. But it has been a very difficult thing to do for the past year due to the road construction.
"The dug-up road becomes muddy in the rainy season. In addition to this, customers cannot bring their cars due to potholes and puddles on the road in front of my shop," he added.
Aside from markets, there are educational institutions and hospitals located on Eskaton Road.
Zahir Uddin, a tea seller in front of SPRC Hospital, said that his business hit a snag due to the digging of this road. Sales have decreased a lot compared to before.
"We want development but digging up roads for months is painful for locals. The suffering increases on rainy days. Any type of road work should not be initiated in the monsoon season," he said.
He also said that some of the manholes on the road, which have been constructed, were not covered with lids properly. "I have seen many people getting injured by slipping on the manholes during the monsoon."
Tania Afroz, a guardian waiting in front of Ispahani Girls' School and College on New Eskaton Road, told TBS, "Today, I saw seven or eight people digging up the road in front of the school. Such digging has been going on for a long time and does not seem to end. Earlier, when the road was intact, the guardians could stand on the road, but now even that is impossible."
When asked, Councillor of Dhaka North Ward-35 Moktar Sardar said, "The road was dug up mainly to expand sewerage pipe connections in order to eradicate waterlogging – a long-standing issue in the locality. I have spoken with the contractor, and hope that the work will be completed soon."
Jamal Hossain, a member of the construction team working on the road, told TBS, "Water supply lines are yet to be laid in some parts of the road on the south side, and plastering work will begin in 4-5 days in those parts where pipes have been laid already. It will take another 2-3 months to complete the road work."
In response to a question as to why the work is going on at a slow pace, the worker said, "The ward councillor is in charge of the activities. If he wishes to do it fast, it will be fast. If not then we can do nothing here."
