Gulshan-Banani Bridge
A few days ago a resident of one of the houses around the new Tk 32 crore Gulshan-Banani Bridge wrote a long letter in the DS, describing how life for the nearby residents has become intolerable because of the shenanigans of the youth disembarking all around the bridge from expensive cars, who carousel loudly far into the night disturbing the peace of the area while indulging in their expensive “hobbies”- fast cars and faster women, loud music and louder stimulants from bottles and packs.
When this bridge was opened last year, it was a heaven sent opportunity for residents of Gulshan-1 and Niketon to go to their work places in Banani and Kemal Ataturk by rickshaws, because the only other way was restricted for rickshaws by making Mohakhali as a VIP road. But lo and behold!! Our traffic controllers have once again come up with the 'perfect' solution. BAN RICKSHAWS. In time perhaps, when there is a robbery or dacoity, they will BAN more rickshaws on more roads. If there is extortion or corruption, the blame will once again be put on the rickshawalas. I use the bridge regularly and can testify that very few rickshaws use the bridge and cause no obstruction, but now six traffic constables (mostly killing flies) have been deputed to keep the few rickshaws at bay. What a waste!!!
Traffic Jams, (compounded into Jellys and Marmalade) have once again become the bane of those who venture out into Dhaka's road and DS carries a very pertinent letter from Afrin about one of the main cause of tailbacks - free parking on most roads, streets and lanes by the gas-guzzling monstrosities that have once again made their appearance. The gutless traffic cops are totally ineffective to bring any semblance of discipline on the roads or to impose existing traffic laws.
Our new popular government must realize and realize very soon that it was not the 1-2% car-owners who gave them their overwhelming mandate but the vast majority of poor people, 98-99%, like rickshawalas and those who use them for transport, who voted for Boat. If one of the first decisions of the government is to discriminate against the poor daily wage-earners and curtail their livelihood by measures clearly infringing on their rights then they have already begun to shoot themselves in the foot.
Food for thought: The rickshawala on which I was riding over the G-B bridge yesterday (because the cop saw the arm sling supporting my fractured arm and allowed my rickshaw to cross) asked me petulantly “Uncle, why are only the car-owners allowed to use this bridge, when it is the general public who paid for it by the taxes we all pay?.” I could only laugh and say far from it, most of them do not even pay their fitness fees, road tax or income tax on their cars.
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