Road digging, dust in Tejgaon area add to people’s woes

It has become very difficult for people to walk or travel through the streets and alleys of the capital's Tejgaon area due to the ongoing road development work there to set up underground electric cables.

During a recent visit to Tejgaon, this correspondent saw that the roads, including Love Road, Begun Bari alley, BSTI alley and Ahsanullah University alley, have become obstacles for office goers, school-going children, and the residents of the area.

Traffic congestion has also increased in Hatirjheel, Saat Rastar Mor and the surrounding roads as the vehicular movement have decreased in the streets of Tejgaon.

Besides, layers of dust have covered the houses and shops in the area. Road digging work has been going on for the last six to seven months in the area and still has not finished in a single street.

Expressing annoyance, Riazul Haque, a resident of the area, told The Business Standard that dust envelopes a person after walking for a mere 10 minutes on the road.

“The street foods are also contaminated. Not to mention, dust entering the lungs causes various respiratory diseases,” Riazul added. 

Arifur Rahman Tuhin, another resident of the area, said, “For the last six to seven months, we have been suffering due to this road digging work. In the rainy season, the road becomes muddy and it is difficult to walk. It takes more time now to move through the streets.”

Ward Councillor Md Safiullah of the Dhaka North City Corporation's ward-24, which covers areas including Tejgaon, said, “Residents of the area are suffering due to the slow progress of the work and we do not know when it will finish.”

Faruque Hasan Md Al Masood, executive engineer of the DNCC, region-3, said that water is sprayed three times a day but the effect is little. He hoped that the work would be finished by next July.

Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Paribesh Bachao Andolon (Save the Environment Movement), said the city corporation was doing a lot of digging and unplanned development work.

“Now digging is ongoing to set up electric cables, then it will be done for water pipes, and gas lines and then for landlines and so on. They have no right to make citizens suffer in this manner,” he said. 

“If the road is dug for any development work of gas, electricity and water supply, the authorities are supposed to fill it within the day as per regulations, and the government is also providing a certain fund for it,” added Naser.