Banani Road 11
Since the opening of the Banani-Gulshan Bridge, Banani Road No 11 has been promoted from being just crowded, to one that is simply un-passable from morning till late at night. Up-market eateries, bakeries, boutiques, fashion arcades, trendy garments stores, doctors, clinics, banks, offices, apartments etc are all vying to be there to cater to a horde of customers with access to easy money.
A few weeks ago some 'conscientious' member(s) of the conservancy department took it upon themselves to clean up the ditches on both sides of the road in readiness for the rains. Very commendable, indeed!! Workers are still being observed hard at work digging up the accumulated muck of years and dumping it on the roadside/footpath. But with typical bureaucratic 'efficiency', the bright boys forget to make arrangements to remove the filth!
By now (9 March) hundreds of small hillocks of slime occupy an area containing tons of dirt that is even more than that taken up by the parked Gas Guzzling Monstrosities (GGMs). As the sludge dries out in the hot sun, the wheels of the GGMs grind up the scum into a fine powdery mass that swirls up in the air every time a GGM passes over it. The smell emanating from this compacted sewage could be patented as “Evening in Banani”. How much of this mire gets into the eyes, lungs, stomach, skin etc of the passers-by and what harm it does there, is anyone's guess.
As for the poor pedestrians, they have nowhere to go. The fate of Bananibashi, like that of Dhakabashi is, either get run over by the GGMs or jump when a raucous horn blows behind you and take a mud-bath. The real fun and frolic will really start once we have a couple of heavy nor'westers. Before concluding, I would like to pose a question if this is the condition of one of the most posh areas of Dhaka, what must be happening where the poor plebeians and peasants reside?
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments