Shortsightedness in planning
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Mohammad Ataul Hoque
I was dismayed when I read in the newspapers that the under-construction connecting road leading from Bijoy Sharani to Tejgaon will have a width of 250 ft at the initial point and will culminate to a width of just little over 100 ft while it meets Tejgaon road. This is incredible -- a road which is going to be extremely busy will have such a small width. One can see unbearable traffic jam both at the Bijoy Sharani and Tejgaon ends, once the road in its present design is allowed to open and, therefore, it will defeat the purpose for which it was built at a large cost including the much talked-about destruction of Rangs building. This road in its present form can now be safely called a "lane" rather a road.
It is also most surprising that the Chief Engineer of the project, while talking to the newsman, disclosed if necessary the road could be widened afterwards as the adjacent areas belonged to the Government.
If so, why the road is not widened now when it is under construction and why it is deferred to a future uncertain period. Perhaps it is not very difficult to figure out the reason; dismantling and re-construction will bring more benefit for the interested quarters!
With the enormous growth of transport and population in Dhaka city, most of its roads now have turned into lanes. This is because of the shortsightedness of our city planners, engineers and the government officials. While these roads were constructed say about fifty years back, they thought the volume of traffic would not grow more than the then period. That is why they even permitted the construction of multi-storied buildings right on the edge of those roads prohibiting any of its future expansion. In Gulshan circle 1, one twenty two-storied building was allowed to be built occupying a large portion of the foot path and without any under-ground parking facility even!
It does not require one to become an engineer or architect to think of at least hundred years ahead while undertaking any construction of public utility services. The short-sightedness of these people now rendered the Dhaka city into such a sorry plight that this city can never become a liveable one, if not now, at least in the future. We are now dreaming about construction of overhead roads, elevated expressway, under ground metro system, circular rail and water ways etceteras. The materialisation of those super ambitious projects is still in the air only. Even if some of those projects could be materialised in the long run, Dhaka would become a jungle of concrete and constructions, and thereby become still unliveable.
Moreover, planning for those super ambitious unproductive costly projects and spending of billions of takas which a poor country like Bangladesh could ill afford now. Our foremost priorities are poverty alleviation and improvement of the lot of the people and not to look after Dhaka city alone. The priorities for our planners and authorities should be to shift focus from Dhaka city and look for other places for gradual relocation of the capital and other important establishments to relieve pressure from the Dhaka city.
The writer can be reached at e-mail: hoqueataul07@yahoo.com
I was dismayed when I read in the newspapers that the under-construction connecting road leading from Bijoy Sharani to Tejgaon will have a width of 250 ft at the initial point and will culminate to a width of just little over 100 ft while it meets Tejgaon road. This is incredible -- a road which is going to be extremely busy will have such a small width. One can see unbearable traffic jam both at the Bijoy Sharani and Tejgaon ends, once the road in its present design is allowed to open and, therefore, it will defeat the purpose for which it was built at a large cost including the much talked-about destruction of Rangs building. This road in its present form can now be safely called a "lane" rather a road.
It is also most surprising that the Chief Engineer of the project, while talking to the newsman, disclosed if necessary the road could be widened afterwards as the adjacent areas belonged to the Government.
If so, why the road is not widened now when it is under construction and why it is deferred to a future uncertain period. Perhaps it is not very difficult to figure out the reason; dismantling and re-construction will bring more benefit for the interested quarters!
With the enormous growth of transport and population in Dhaka city, most of its roads now have turned into lanes. This is because of the shortsightedness of our city planners, engineers and the government officials. While these roads were constructed say about fifty years back, they thought the volume of traffic would not grow more than the then period. That is why they even permitted the construction of multi-storied buildings right on the edge of those roads prohibiting any of its future expansion. In Gulshan circle 1, one twenty two-storied building was allowed to be built occupying a large portion of the foot path and without any under-ground parking facility even!
It does not require one to become an engineer or architect to think of at least hundred years ahead while undertaking any construction of public utility services. The short-sightedness of these people now rendered the Dhaka city into such a sorry plight that this city can never become a liveable one, if not now, at least in the future. We are now dreaming about construction of overhead roads, elevated expressway, under ground metro system, circular rail and water ways etceteras. The materialisation of those super ambitious projects is still in the air only. Even if some of those projects could be materialised in the long run, Dhaka would become a jungle of concrete and constructions, and thereby become still unliveable.
Moreover, planning for those super ambitious unproductive costly projects and spending of billions of takas which a poor country like Bangladesh could ill afford now. Our foremost priorities are poverty alleviation and improvement of the lot of the people and not to look after Dhaka city alone. The priorities for our planners and authorities should be to shift focus from Dhaka city and look for other places for gradual relocation of the capital and other important establishments to relieve pressure from the Dhaka city.
The writer can be reached at e-mail: hoqueataul07@yahoo.com