Traffic jam and underground railway
Photo: STAR
It is reported that because of tremendous road traffic jams and untold sufferings of the people our authorities concerned are contemplating building an underground railway in Dhaka city at a cost of about six thousand crore taka. Before we make a final decision on the matter, let us consider, examine, answer and find out solutions of the following problems: - 1. How are we going to ensure smooth operation of the underground railway when we are suffering from acute shortage of electricity and load shedding? 2. The area of Dhaka city is very small. It is thickly populated, congested, and crowded with narrow roads, streets, lanes and by-lanes. Is it possible to have underground railway stations at or near the important areas, residential and commercial areas, govt. offices, educational institutions, Motijheel, Lalbagh, Gandaria, Karwan Bazar, Zia International Airport, Sadarghat, Saidabad, Mohakhali and Gabtoli Bus terminals, Secretariat, Dhaka Stadium, Rampura, Wari, Hatkhola, Azimpur, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi. Elephant Road, Islampur, Armanitola, Gulshan NO. 1&2, Dhaka University, Naya Bazar, Malibagh, Mouchak, Rampura, Rayer Bazar, Shaheed Minar, Jurain, Jatrabari, Jahangirnagar University, Shamoli and so on and so forth? What would be the mode of transport for the people to travel to and from their residences to railway stations and to and from various destinations? 3. Would the number of motor vehicles buses, cars, trucks, taxis, scooters, rickshaws and push carts decrease after the introduction of the underground railway service? 4. Would there be no haphazard parking of vehicles, no hawkers and vendors, no processions and rallies on the roads and streets, no road traffic jams and people would move freely from one place to another without any hindrance and wastage of time? 5. Dhaka is prone to floods. Would the underground railway remain safe from floods? 6. There is no approved Master Plan for Dhaka. Would it be wise to have an underground railway without a Master Plan? 7. Almost daily we find and experience that most of the road traffic jams are caused due to stoppage of vehicles while crossing the roads, passing through road squares, road signals, haphazard parking of vehicles, processions and rallies and occupation of roads and streets by hawkers and vendors. Would we be able to remove these disorders? 8. Is it not possible to construct some one storied, two storied and three storied overbridges for movement of motor vehicles over these bridges round the clock?
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