Inadequate allocation blamed

The Roads and Highways department (RHD) could not repair the roads and highways in bad shape as it was not given enough funds, sources said

The maintenance wing of the RHD sought Tk. 77 billion to repair the national and regional highways in bad shape following a nationwide survey carried out during the September-December period of last year to know the condition of highways. But it was given a sum of Tk.13 billion only.

The RHD's monitoring department surveyed the country's national and regional highways during September-December and

found only 25 per cent of the national highways and 35 per cent of regional highways in bad shape.

However, experts and a section of officials have expressed their scepticism about the people making comfortable homebound journey during Eid festivals in a decade's time. The unsparing personal efforts being made by the incumbent communications minister to set the highways right are unlikely to yield any visible results, they felt.  

The sceptics pointed out that Eid celebration would continue to fall in the monsoon and that there were inadequate measures to speed up upgrading the roads.

Officials at the RHD said it would be hard for the department to maintain improved road conditions in the next few years as Eid celebration will continue to coincide with the rainy season.

The officials maintained that small and big repairs on major highways were manageable during dry season but it becomes unmanageable during the rainy season.

"Even if the communications minister declares a deadline, it would not be possible," said an engineer, preferring not to be named.

He noted that earlier people travelling to and fro the city would not face such problem as the RHD could cover up potholes, cracks or flaws immediately after being informed during special occasions like Eids the celebration of which used to be during dry season.

During the last three years, the RHD had faced hard criticism for being unable to improve deteriorated conditions of national and regional highways especially during the Eid occasion as people have to stay on road for 10 to 12 hours against average 4/5 hours travel time.  In 2011, when the first worst-ever road conditions were reported in media, the then communications minister had blamed poor allocation of maintenance budget and claimed that an allocation of Tk 14 billion could change the pitiful state.

But it is learnt that maintenance budget for the department has already been to the level of Tk 14 billion a year but road conditions did not improve that much.

The present communications minister, however, tried to put the RHD officials under pressure by setting, on many occasions, deadline to repair the roads. He also ordered stand release of officials concerned in case of negligence in maintaining roads. But nothing has worked so far for the betterment of the journey. The latest deadline given by the minister ended on July 20.

However, the RHD officials were not ready to agree that the road conditions of the national highways are bad as reported in the media. They said sufferings of the highway commuters are mainly because of bad traffic system.

"Our record shows that majority roads are in good shape. Recent sufferings of people will be for not being able to complete four-lane works of two major highways, Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Chittagong highways," said an official of the RHD periodical maintenance section.

He claimed that sufferings of the people will continue in coming years due to increase of traffic and faulty road design. Even smooth road surface conditions and completion of the two four- lane projects would not help much, he observed.

"Hundreds of cars, buses and other modes of transport do not move an inch after hours at many points of the highways which always do not mean for bad condition of roads," said the official to hammer home his point.

The commuters will have to stay longer on the major highways as traffic volume on those arteries will continue to increase beyond the capacity of roads and highways, they said about the other flip side of the communications system.

Sources said eight four-lane projects besides the two connecting Dhaka with Chittagong and Mymensingh still  in the pipeline as the government is yet to manage funds, either from its own coffers or from donors.

"Four-lane projects like Dhaka-Sylhet, Dhaka-Barisal, and Dhaka-Mawa are unlikely to start in next five years as those development- project proposals are yet to be approved for non-availability of fund," they said. However, Road Division Secretary MAN Siddique said from its past experience the ministry has learned to manage development works and he expressed the hope to reduce the sufferings of the people during the upcoming four- lane projects.