Gopibagh’s new road dug up, commuters suffer for six months

Ariyan, a ninth grader at Motijheel Ideal School and College, regularly commutes from his home in the capital's Gopibagh via Sadeque Hossain Khoka Road. But for the last six months his route to school has become a major hassle for him.

Where it used to take him 20 minutes to get from his home to school by rickshaw, now he has to spend more than an hour. He has to walk half the way.

"I can't get a rickshaw from my house because the road in front has been dug up for more than six months. I have to walk for about a kilometre and then take a rickshaw. During the rains, I walked through mud and water, and now there's dust everywhere. I also have to take a longer route because of the ongoing road work," Ariyan told The Business Standard.

"There wasn't a single pothole on this road before. It was a completely new road. Why was it dug up, causing all this suffering?" That was his plaintive question.

This predicament does not affect only Ariyan. The road in Gopibagh has become a thorn in the side of the road for residents living in the area.

The Dhaka South City Corporation began digging up the fresh road in an attempt to resolve chronic waterlogging issues in the area by installing underground drainage pipelines. 

The project's progress has been slow, and commuters are still facing significant disruptions.

Throughout much of the monsoon, the area experienced severe waterlogging, worse than in previous years. Despite this, the new road, which was originally in good condition, has been dug up, further adding to the misery of commuters.

Commuters say the digging up of the road began in April, but construction work slowed down considerably and halted for two months during the July protests. It only resumed last month.

Both the DSCC and the contractor for the project cited various challenges, including the need to relocate utility lines from organisations such as WASA, DESCO, Titas Gas and MRT, which have delayed the work. The ongoing monsoon and the July protests also further hampered progress.

Abul Hossain, who runs a car repair shop on the road, told TBS, "This road was completely new. But it's been in this condition for six months now. Why was it dug up like this? During the rains, water would flood our shops, but instead of resolving the waterlogging issue, the road is being dug up. Rickshaws sometimes keel over on this broken road."

He also shared the experience of the financial struggle he has been up against, saying, "My shop's income has dropped drastically. We used to earn about Tk60,000 a month, but now we're lucky to make Tk10,000. We've gone into debt of about Tk2 lakh."

Rickshaw puller Sourav says, "I avoid this road unless I absolutely have to use it. I often have to drive on the sidewalk, and I've flipped over with passengers several times."

The roadwork is part of a larger initiative to improve the area's drainage system and reduce waterlogging during heavy rains. 

Locals say the unfinished construction has caused traffic congestion, and commuters are forced to navigate around large excavations and partially blocked roads.

According to the DSCC, only 25% of the work has been completed so far, with an estimated cost of Tk13.28 crore for the entire project.

Rashed Ahamed, project in-charge with the contractor company MA Engineering, told TBS, "The project isn't about road repairs – it's part of a larger effort to address the waterlogging problem in the area. A 6.5-foot diameter pipe is being installed, which is taking longer than expected. We've been given 18 months to complete the work."

He added, "We've faced delays due to the utility lines, and work was halted for two months during the July protests. We hope to make the road usable within the next month, but the full work will take until mid-2025."

Speaking to TBS, Sheikh Hamidul Islam Akash, assistant engineer for Region-2 of DSCC, said, "We apologise for the delay, but we're putting pressure on the contractor to complete the work as soon as possible to alleviate public suffering. Since this project is part of a waterlogging solution, it's taking a bit longer. The project is expected to be completed by March 2025."

When asked why the decision was made to dig up a new road during the monsoon season, he responded, "This is a drainage system improvement project. The 4-foot pipe that was previously installed has been replaced with a 6.5-foot pipe to address the waterlogging issue."