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Take quick steps to repair roads, railways

5 || risingbd.com

Published: 15:41, 24 August 2017   Update: 15:18, 26 July 2020
Take quick steps to repair roads, railways

Several days are left for holy Eid-ul-Azha, one of the largest religious festivals for Muslim communities. Many will leave the capital Dhaka to celebrate Eid with their near and dear ones. But they may face a lot of sufferings during journey to their homes due to this year’s floods in different parts of the country. One-third of the country’s areas has been inundated in floods. As per the last updates, floodwater has started receding now. But situation may deteriorate again if rainfalls accompanied by hill slopes increase towards the end of this month.

Roads and railways in most areas of the country have submerged in ongoing floods. Road communication in many places has come to a stop. Highways in northern districts have been severely damaged. North, mid and north-eastern regions have faced huge loss. Communication system has been damaged mostly in Dinajpur, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Sunamganj and Moulvibazar districts. Buses are plying on different routes in Bogra, Gaibandha and Sirajganj districts amid risk. Moreover, rail communication on Dhaka-Dinajpur route has remained suspended. There is uncertainty whether rail communication on the route will begin or not before Eid.

People make journey to their respective homes to share Eid joys with near and dear ones. People rush to their homes not only from the capital Dhaka but also from different parts of the country on the occasion of holy Eid. Again, they return to their respective workplaces after celebrating Eid with their relatives. Usually, all roads become jam-packed with the movement of numerous vehicles during this time. Eid joys are interrupted when the roads are not smooth for movement.

In general, transport companies increase the number of trips to deal with the crowd of home-bound people on the occasion of holy Eid. As part of the move, they launch special service. But this time, opposite picture has been noticed. The number of bus trips has been reduced in 17 districts of northern regions although there are reasons behind this move. Bus owners say, it takes six to eight hours to go to many districts in the northern regions in usual period. But this time, they fear that it may take 10 to 12 hours to reach those districts as roads in those areas have been damaged due to floods. The pressure of vehicles on the roads will increase as the Eid nears. If the situation is not improved, road communication may come to a standstill during the Eid, they fear.

If it is not possible to improve the situation, Eid journeys of this time may end in difficulty. A terrible situation will be created if roads and railways are not repaired immediately. So, the authorities concerned will have to start work on emergency to make the communication system completely operational. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that the work of repairing the roads is underway.

We expect that this repair work will complete soon. Quick steps should be taken to ensure smooth journey of home-bound people repairing highways and railways damaged by floods. Steps should also be taken to keep the law and order situation normal in a bid to ensure smooth Eid journey. We hope the authorities concerned will take all necessary measures in this regard.

risingbd/Dhaka/Aug 24, 2017/Ali Nowsher/Amirul

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