Traffic jam
Photo: Amdadul Huq / Driknews
This letter is prompted by the news in DS, 16 Sept where a parliamentary committee has “asked DCC, DMP, BRTA, RAJUK and others” to present their plan to curb traffic jams. I can only gape in amazement at the naivety of the Parliamentary Standing Committee. For three years and in 77 letters, I have explicitly detailed how a privileged few have brought forth on this blighted city, their fleets of Gas Guzzling Monstrosities (GGMs) that have been allowed free access to park and ply (often empty) on the pot-holed, narrow and scarce roads, streets and lanes of Dhaka with impunity by these same organisations. Let us refresh ourselves by the measures they have taken in recent years with the expenditure of hundreds of crores of public money and all in vain. 1. Made some roads one-way and banned rickshaws here. 2. Made some 'white elephant' freeways and banned rickshaws there. 3. Installed CCTV cameras at intersections to nab rickshaws hither. 4. Installed automatic traffic lights and banned rickshaws thither. 5. Divided Dhaka into zones with different holidays with no rickshaws. 6. Changed timings, so small children had to go to school in the dark but not on rickshaws mostly. 7. Changed business timings and banned rickshaws everywhere. 8. Painted fancy lanes on roads for all motorised vehicles but no rickshaws. 9. Now solar panels are required for traffic lights that have still not made their way to Dholai Khal, but none for rickshaws. Therefore, the mindset of the toadying traffic controllers is apparent. They will not rest until they achieve their ultimate goal of stuffing 200 kgs of cement into a 50 kg bag. (i.e. getting a million GGMs on the roads of Dhaka that have a capacity of just 200-250,000). I am mentally preparing myself for their “plan” which on the basis of the experience of the past week, will surely include the proposal to declare every working day as an “Eid Holiday” at the very top. Before that it should be jam, jelly and marmalade as usual from Sunday next!!
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