Impassable due to potholes

Riding on an auto-rickshaw, a passenger started his journey from Jatrabari intersection to his residence in Shanarpar of Narayanganj on Sunday. At one point of the journey, when the CNG-run three-wheeler reached Kajla area on Chittagong road, one of its wheels hit a water-filled pothole. 

But little did the driver sense that it was a deep puddle. What happened next was the vehicle tilted precariously and the passenger immediately discovered himself in a pool of murky water. He fell straight into the dirty water, as the three-wheeler had no iron cage -- what is usually seen among such vehicles plying the city streets.   

Unable to sense the depth of a large pothole, a rickshaw van flips over and the driver falls straight into the murky water. Photo: Anisur Rahman

The driver of the auto-rickshaw said, “My passenger was lucky as he did not get hurt. I was lucky too as the vehicle did not flip over.”

This is one of many such examples commuters and drivers experience on the road, stretching from Jatrabari to Shanir Akhra, every now and then. And travelling on this dilapidated road full of potholes has become a nightmare for residents in the last few years. The condition has worsened since the beginning of this rainy season.

Though contractors of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) have been working there to repair the road, footpaths and drains since October last, things did not improve much.

Rather, the drainage renovation work has created obstruction on the road at different points, hampering the smooth flow of vehicular movement. Moreover, the concrete slabs of drains and dug-up earth are left beside the drainage renovation site on the road, much to the woes of commuters and pedestrians. As a result, traffic congestion has become a regular phenomenon there.

The situation takes a turn for the worse when any vehicle gets stuck or flips over in the middle of the road, literally giving no room for other vehicles to pass through, said locals.

Sharing his experience, Khalil, driver of another auto-rickshaw, said, “I saw a truck flipped over at Kajla on Sunday morning.” Due to the mishap, he had to wait on the road for around four hours until a police wrecker cleared the road, said the driver.

Another water-filled portion of the road beside the toll plaza of the flyover. Photo: Anisur Rahman

Mosharraf Hossain, driver of a bus, said he had to use the Hanif flyover by paying Tk 173 as toll after the incident, which blocked the road completely.

AKM Manzurul Alam, traffic inspector of Demra Zone (Kutubkhali-Kajla), said the contractor repairing the road is taking too much time, adding to the sufferings of the people.

Traffic police personnel help a rickshaw van pass a large puddle. Photo: Anisur Rahman

Due to long tailbacks caused by battered road condition, he said, “Sometimes, we force vehicles to use the flyover to improve the situation.”

In addition, drains at different points are blocked, causing waterlogging in the area even after the slightest bit of rain, he said. Because of the poor road condition, it also takes time to reach any spot in case of emergency, added Officer-in-Charge of Jatrabari Police Station Anisur Rahman.

Contacted, DSCC Mayor Mohammad Sayeed Khokon said a project worth Tk 137 crore is going on where three contractors are working on three roads centring the Jatrabari intersection.

Another muddy section of the road under the flyover near Jatrabari. The photos were taken yesterday. Photo: Anisur Rahman

He said they would check the quality of work before paying the bill.

Mahabub Yasin Panu, a contractor who is supervising the renovation work on both sides of Jatrabari-Chittagong road, said they are supposed to finish the work by November.

“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to complete the work within 15 days after Eid-ul-fitr,” he said.

Responding to a query, the contractor acknowledged that they had failed to clear the mud and slabs due to rains for the last few days.