Rain may hinder repair of rundown roads before Eid

The fear of rain spoiling urgent repairs of highways looms large as the government races against the clock to ensure hassle-free travel of Eid passengers. Several highways, including Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh arterial roads, have been filled with potholes with the onset of monsoon, affecting travel. Transport owners have threatened to stop operating on crater-filled highways. The threat prompted Communications Minister Obaidul Quader to inspect some of the badly damaged parts of several highways and order urgent repairs. Roads and Highways Division Secretary MAN Siddique said on Tuesday that works had started as per the directive of the minister. He said they had made preparations to work even in the midst of showers. He, however, said: ‘Humans have no control over natural disasters. There could be problems in case of excessive or incessant rainfall two days before the Eid. In that case, there may not be enough time for the repairs.’ Met Office forecasts normal rainfall in the current month. Minister Quader, however, hopes the repair works will be completed by the ‘timeframe’, according to bdnews24.com.