Mushrooming roadside markets pose accident threats
Banana carrying trucks use part of Dinajpur-Panchagarh highway in Kaharol upazila for loading and unloading the fruits as around one kilometre area of the busy road is used as a banana market, below, a bamboo market on the highway in Birganj upazila of Dinajpur district.Photo: STAR
Roadside markets at different places on the 450km national and regional highways in the district add to traffic congestions and increase the chance of accidents. Around 20 markets, set up beside the highways in the district, occupy a good portion of the busy roads, sources of the Department of Roads and Highways (RHD) said. "Especially bamboo markets at different places of these highways make vehicles vulnerable to accidents. Drivers need to be extra cautious as the pullers of bamboo carrying rickshaw vans hardly apply their common sense," said Md Ramjan Ali, a resident of Basherhaat area. During recent visits to several roadside markets on Dinajpur-Dhaka, Dinajpur-Rangpur and Dinajpur-Panchagarh highways, this correspondent saw loading and unloading of goods during the daytime, occupying nearly half of the width of the roads. There are five roadside markets on Dinajpur-Panchagarh highway, including a rice market at Gopalganj, a bamboo market at Basherhat, a rice market at Farmhaat, a banana market at Dashmile of Kaharol upazila and a bamboo market at Kabirajhaat in Birganj upazila of the district. On Dinajpur-Dhaka highway, there is a bamboo market at Shershamore, one rice market each at Pachbarihaat and Ambari in Chirirbandar upazila and Amtoli in Parbatipur upazila. Dinajpur RHD sources said local administration helped setting up the markets by leasing the roadside areas through tender although the law prohibits creating any form of obstruction on the sides of national and regional highways. The markets have occupied the footpaths, even part of the roads, exposing the slow moving vehicles, even pedestrians, to the hazards of sharing the road with fast moving ones, said Rahim Uddin, a driver at Dashmile banana market in Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur. Parked cycles, scooters and other vehicles at the spots also cause problem for the moving vehicles, said Md Jamshed Ali, another driver. Abu Etesham Rashed, executive engineer of Dinajpur RHD, said, "I am aware about the problem of roadside markets on national and regional highways in the district. I will write to the deputy commissioner to take step to remove the markets." The RHD official, however, failed to say how many roadside markets are now running in the district. Denying the allegation of leasing out the land of RHD, Dinajpur Deputy Commissioner Md Jamal Uddin Ahmed said, "At a roundtable recently held in the district, decision was taken to free the highways from encroachers."
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