Though installed 28 yrs ago, they yet to be lit for traffic control

Sylhet Bureau :

Traffic signal lights were installed at different intersections of Sylhet city 28 years ago to control traffic and relieve traffic congestion. However, these lamps have not been used even for a single day since their installation. Not even a single lamp was lit for a day.
In 2017, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology took the initiative to develop two cities of the country as digital cities. Various initiatives are also taken for that purpose. But in this ‘digital city’ the traffic control system still remains analog. Traffic police still have to control the vehicles moving in the city by hand signals.
According to Sylhet City Corporation (SCC), in 1996 traffic signal lights were installed at 6 busiest points of the city to control traffic under the ‘Medium City Development Project’.
At a cost of Tk 30 lakh, signal lights were installed at Chowhatta, Rikabibazar, Nayasarak, Surma Market, Nyorpool and Amberkhana points in the city. But these lamps have never been used till date.
Officials of the city corporation said that at that time the signal lights could not be implemented due to the objections of the traffic police and mechanical problems.
Later, a separate section was kept in the budget for their renovation, but they were not renovated due to non-availability of allocation.
On the surface, 6 points where the city’s traffic signal lights are installed can be seen, due to lack of maintenance, the traffic signal light poles are in a very dilapidated condition. Rust and moss have accumulated all over the poles.
Yet they still stand. However, the red, green and yellow lights have been stolen.
As there are no signal lights, the traffic police still have to control the vehicles in the city with hand signals. Due to the shortage of police manpower and increasing traffic, the police are struggling to control the traffic.
And throughout the day, there is unbearable traffic jam at various intersections of the city.
In this regard, Farooq Mahmud Chowdhury, convener of Citizens for Good Governance (Sujan) Sylhet said, ‘These signal lights are an excellent example of wasting state money. If the lamps will not be used, why so much money was spent?’
He said that in order to control traffic and vehicles in the city, it is necessary to install signal lights at every junction of the city and to modernize the traffic police.
Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Metropolitan Police (Traffic) Mahfuzur Rahman said, ‘If the signal lights were on, the work of our policemen would have been a little easier.
There was no need to stand on the road all day and shake hands.’ He said, we cannot say why the signal light has not turned on or whether it will turn on or not. It is the responsibility of the City Corporation. But just turning on the lights will not solve the traffic jam.
For this, it is necessary to take some other initiatives such as removing hawkers from the footpaths, introducing parking system in all markets, shifting vegetable markets from the city, making the structures built at the junctions of the city traffic-friendly.
Noor Azizur Rahman, chief engineer of Sylhet City Corporation, said that the signal lights could not be started due to traffic police’s objections, lack of funds and mechanical faults. Later, in some budgets, a separate sector was kept for their renovation, but due to non-availability of allocation, renovation was not possible.
He said, we connect many sectors while announcing the budget. But it has to rely on government allocation for its implementation. These works cannot be done without allocation from the government.