The authorities are hopeful that it will be possible to inaugurate Metrorail in December this year and Dhaka Elevated Expressway by the end of 2023.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said this on the first working day after Eid at his secretariat office in the capital on Tuesday.
He said, “Expressway work was slow before, now the construction work speed has increased. The government has solved the problem of financing this project.”
While responding to a question from a journalist, he added that not everything happens simultaneously, there are few people they only know to criticize. But there are more ongoing development works which will be visible soon to ease people’s sufferings. We will see Metro Rail moving with passengers, Karnafuli Tunnel will be inaugurated soon.
Quader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Metrorail in the first week of December.
Obaidul Quader said that motorcycles were being controlled on the highways this time. However, the number of accidents has decreased due to motorcycle control.
He said, “The condition of roads was good all over the country this Eid. There was no traffic jam anywhere in the country because of the roads. Traffic jams have occurred at various places due to management errors.”
The problem has become more on one route – Northern Region. It was not supposed to happen, because our six-lane road is already ready, said Obaidul Quader, adding that measures will be taken in the future considering the places where the road has been damaged this year.
The minister informed that, “There were 43 accidents on the Bangabandhu Bridge in one day. Padma Bridge has the facilities to move vehicles if they face accidents or become damaged. But Bangabandhu Bridge does not have the facility. Many vehicles were damaged, so we were under a lot of pressure. Accidents took place in many places due to which vehicle movement was slow. That’s why there were some problems but overall other routes were good all over the country.”
Obaidul Quader further said that BGMEA-BKMEA was repeatedly requested to give leave to garment workers in phases. Traffic jams have been reported in the Chandra-Nabinagar area on Thursday and Friday. Periodic leave would not create such a chaotic situation there.
