Transport fare hike outshines progress in mega projects

The country's communications sector witnessed a mixed experience of success and failure in the year 2021.
The development projects have made some progress despite being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, but the transportation services segment experienced severe accidents while travellers' had to bear substantially increased fares following the diesel price hike.
Despite frequent revisions of the mega-projects, experts mostly appreciated the progress made this year amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
They, however, pointed out that the implementation of various projects in the road, rail and transport sectors was slow due to the pandemic, forcing the agencies concerned either to revise the deadlines or keep suspended the development work.
The experts termed good progress of implementation of the fast track projects like Padma Bridge, metro rail and Karnaphuli tunnel.
However, they said that the authorities had to shift the opening schedule of the projects from this year to next year as half of 2021 remained under lockdown due to the pandemic.
The government has already announced the inauguration of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 from Uttara to Agargaon, and Bangabandhu Karnaphuli Tunnel next year.
Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) continued working on the Padma Bridge project by keeping its sites 'entry-restricted'. However, the piers of the under-construction bridge got hit by ferries a few times this year, creating concerns among the people.
However, the construction work of the bridge achieved good progress as the two sides of the bridge were connected by placing slabs on the entire 6.15 km bridge in August 2021.
The placement of rail slabs on the bottom part of the two-tier bridge was also completed by June this year.
The opening date of the bridge is yet to be declared, however.
The MRT-6 project has also made a satisfactory level of progress with launching a test run of the first MRT set. It has so far conducted the test run through the viaduct track at 100 kilometre speed up to Agargaon from Dia Bari this month.
The progress of other MRTs including MRT 1 and MRT 5 North continued during the year.
The difficulties over execution of the Bus Rapid Transit from Joydevpur to Airport and Dhaka Elevated Expressway projects could not be solved despite some progress witnessed this year after several years of stagnation.
The BBA and Roads and Highways Department continued to announce the opening of the two road sector projects by next year, but experts were still expressing their frustration about achieving the targets.
At the end of the year, the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority in association of Dhaka South and Dhaka North City Corporations launched the pilot route of the bus route franchise system to develop the single company system bus service in the city's nine clusters.
But the launching was made without enough cooperation from the bus operators for not getting a standard or adequate number of buses.
Saifun Newaz, associate professor of BUET, appreciated the initiative that finally the BRF started the service this year, but laid importance on strong monitoring on its standard maintenance.
The Lebukhali bridge over Payra river finally opened for traffic on October 23 this year making an epoch making development in the road network in southern districts.
In the services segment of the communication sector, the system could hardly mitigate the sufferings of the travellers in terms of traffic congestions and accidents.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges is yet to complete the rules of the Road Transport Act (RTA) or take pragmatic measures to lessen the congestion.
Instead, the travellers' spending on transports went up substantially following the diesel price hike and upward revision of tolls for most of the bridges, including the Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge.
Mr Newaz stressed on reducing public sufferings as well as road safety against the pain of increased fare. "Despite giving more money, people do not get quality service or safe travel, which is most important to whatever development took place."
According to the Road Safety Foundation, 413 people were killed and 532 others injured in 379 road accidents across the country in November this year which was 13.17 per cent higher than that of the previous month.
Experts said there were hardly any measures taken in the outgoing year to ensure road safety, develop skilled drivers and stop irregularities in transport agencies etc.
The road accidents triggered a students' movement this year after the death of a student of Notre Dame College in November.
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