Quader asks for more time to repair rundown roads

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader has said it will take another ‘one or two days’ to fix roads and highways ahead of Eid after his self-imposed deadline expired. The minister said on Monday that the government had already finished almost 80 per cent of the promised repairs. He said this at Dhaka’s Maghbazar while on a spot-survey of the traffic situation there. ‘We have successfully completed 80pc of the work. Immediate action has been taken against those found shirking their duty,’ he said. At an inter-ministerial meeting on July 11, Quader had ordered the repairs of all roads and highways within July 20. Asked about this deadline, Quader said, ‘The entire volume of work cannot be completed in seven days. None is sitting idle. We’ll have to make do with what we have.’ The minister said the problems created by a series of expansion projects and related repair work on several highways would not be there next year, according to bdnews24.com.