Riders forced to deal with potholes

Mohammad Nadim has been riding motorbikes ever since he was young. He is an experienced and careful rider and he takes a lot of pride in that.

But, couple of weeks ago, while going to work, Nadim, a resident of the capital's Shyampur, could not control his bike as it hit a pothole veiled under the murky stagnant water on the Wasa road of the area.

Though he was lucky enough to not to suffer any fractures, he still received injuries to his hands and legs and had to stay home for around a week due to the accident.

“It's not just me, vehicles falling into potholes on the road has become a regular phenomenon as the road is in a severe condition for the last three months,” said Nadim, also a rice trader.

“The income of my shop has also reduced around 65 percent due to the derelict condition,” said Nadim.

Though the road, stretching from Jurain Rail Gate to Boroitola, was repaired around two years back by spending Tk 1.70 crore, in reality the contractor might have not spend more than Tk 40 lakh, he alleged.

Mohammad Noyangazi, a shopkeeper of the road, said the city corporation did not repair the road properly for which it got damaged again within a short time.

“I had to face a loss of Tk 3,000 around 15 days back as one of my rickshaw-van was turned upside down along with my goods in front of my shop,” he said.

“It has become a common scene. Everyday eight to 10 vehicles are getting damaged,” he alleged.

Al Amin, a rickshaw-puller of the area, said one of the wheels of his rickshaw collapsed around 15 days back on the road. “I was lucky enough to avoid injuries but my livelihood was damaged. I had to spend Tk 350 to repair my rickshaw,” he said.

Though for the most part of the one km road is good but the condition is worst at several points, he said.

Kazi Bourhan Uddin, executive engineer of zone-5 of Dhaka South City Corporation, said they will inspect the spots and take immediate steps to repair the damaged portions.