Choking the highways

A photograph published in this newspaper's front page on June 27 of an illegal human haulier stand at Joydevpur, Gazipur shows how mismanagement and lack of enforcement of rules negate the effect of development. The four-lane Dhaka-Mymensingh highway was opened to the public in mid-2016. And now, only in two years, a group of transport operators have occupied a good part of the expanded highway in that busy intersection, from where the four-lane highway starts and well beyond, blocking footpaths and the road.

The government invested billions of taka to expand the highway in order to reduce tailback, congestion and woes of the commuters. But if such encroachment goes on without any reaction from the administration, what's the point of expansion? The suffocating tailback and congestion are worse than before.

As for Gazipur, some of the city's most persisting problems include the dominance of small vehicles that clog up narrow roads. The picture shows widening roads would bring little effect if indiscipline and malpractice are not properly dealt with.

This phenomenon is fairly representative of almost all the major expanded highways in the country which owners of private trucks and three wheelers seem to think that the expounded portion is for parking their vehicles.  

The authorities concerned must realise that proper maintenance of such large construction projects is as important as building them. The usefulness and durability of a big project lies in the ability of those responsible to look after it. It is imperative that the authorities keep the highway free of occupiers so that commuters can enjoy an uninterrupted journey.