Non-coordination among govt agencies turns the city standstill

Dhaka has been facing severe traffic congestion since reopening of government and private offices after the Eid holidays, causing inconvenience for the city commuters. Ordinary citizens are struggling to reach their destinations due to heavy traffic, resulting in prolonged periods of being stuck on roads and losing working hours in sweltering temperatures. Office goers and ongoing SSC examinees are particularly affected, as they report being stuck in traffic for hours and unable to reach their destinations on time.

Several government agencies year-round dig the roads for repair and maintenance work disorderly, making city people in miserable situations. People during the outgoing Ramzan also suffered heavily, however, the authorities concerned never learnt from their old experiences or the government agencies enforce their earlier commitment to coordinated efforts. It is hard to find smooth roads in the city, where either road digging or footpath blocking is not in place. Despite pouring billions from donor agencies at higher interest rates to improve the traffic system, there have been no effective and coordinated measures on site that could be scaled up for successful piloting. Wasting public money is an old-fashioned way of politico-bureaucratic corruption, particularly in road communication improvement.
We must say as there is no effective social and political accountability system, the contractors (close to the ruling party men) are restless in heaping their pockets as an excuse for road construction works. We know at least 25 ministries work in Dhaka city corporations’ area, but the coordination among the officials is minimum, which turns the city standstill.

We have little hope that the situation will improve drastically as the political crisis along with economic freefall will be deepened in the country this year. Social institutions and non-government actors should trigger strong advocacy while citizens should seek legal shelter for having hassle-free city life. We know the capacity of our institutions is no longer a severe issue; rather our will to serve people would shape our deeds.