Roads dug up in daylight, no one takes responsibility

Development projects are meant to improve people’s lives, but in Dhaka, repeated and uncoordinated road digging by utility agencies is increasingly turning development into a source of daily misery for residents.

Across the capital, roads that were repaired only months — and in some cases weeks — earlier are being dug up again for water, sewerage, gas, electricity and internet-related works.

Residents say the lack of coordination among service agencies is wasting public money, worsening traffic congestion and making many neighbourhood roads difficult to use.

In several areas, residents alleged that one agency begins excavation soon after another has completed road repairs.

“The City Corporation dug up the road seven months ago. Now WASA is digging it again.

People are facing severe difficulties moving through the area,” said one resident, adding that daytime construction work has made the situation even worse.

Officials from Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Dhaka WASA and Titas Gas said such excavation work is generally not supposed to be carried out during the day.

Some officials, however, said they were unaware of the extent of the suffering being faced by commuters.

Digging across the city
Haphazard excavation is visible in Basabo, Mirpur, Rampura, Kayet-tuli, Moghbazar and several other areas for road repairs, sewerage upgrades and installation or maintenance of gas, electricity and internet lines.

In many places, a newly repaired road is being cut open before previous development work has fully settled.

Residents say the repeated cycle not only damages roads but also causes unnecessary expenditure from public funds.

Jahirul Islam, a resident of Basabo, said travelling through the area has become extremely difficult.

“Walking on the road is difficult, let alone driving. Bricks, stone chips and other construction materials are scattered everywhere, while potholes have formed in different places. Nobody knows when the work will end,” he said.

Residents say similar conditions prevail in Madhubag, Mirbagh, Moghbazar and other parts of the capital.

Even upscale areas not spared
The problem is not limited to densely populated neighbourhoods. In Baridhara, Bashundhara, Natun Bazar, the road near Evercare Hospital, Dhanmondi and Kalabagan, pedestrians and motorists are also facing disruption due to prolonged utility and development works.

In several residential areas, including Basabo, Mirpur and Moghbazar, pipe-laying work has continued for months.

Excavated soil is often piled along one side of the road, leaving only a narrow strip for cars and rickshaws to pass.

Residents complain that roads are dug up throughout the year, during both the monsoon and dry seasons, with little indication of when the work will be completed.

The situation is particularly difficult in Uttara, Uttarkhan, Moghbazar and Mirpur, where underground utility work has continued for extended periods.

From the Mirpur-10 roundabout to Kazipara, Sheorapara and different sections of Rokeya Sarani, various service agencies have been carrying out underground utility works for a long time.

However, none of the officials contacted by The New Nation could immediately explain who was carrying out the daytime excavation seen in several areas, under whose authorisation the work was being done, or what monitoring mechanism was in place to prevent such violations.

Asked about the issue, Md Al Amin, manager of the Media and Public Relations Department at Titas Gas, told The New Nation that the organisation carries out its work at night.

“No gas-related work by Titas is carried out during the day,” he said. Abdul Kader, deputy chief public information officer of Dhaka WASA, said the agency currently has a project in Old Dhaka, but excavation work is not supposed to be conducted during daytime hours.

Al Amin Alam Plabon, assistant personal secretary to the administrator of DNCC, said action would be taken if any work was found to be taking place in violation of the rules.

Md Russell Rahman, public relations officer of DSCC, also said development work is scheduled to be carried out at night and is not supposed to continue during the day.

DSCC Administrator Freedom Fighter Abdus Salam recently told the media that development work must be completed within the stipulated timeframe and that action would be taken against anyone found negligent.

Despite such assurances, residents say the problem continues across the capital, raising questions over coordination among city corporations and utility agencies.

For Dhaka residents, the issue is no longer simply about development projects.

It is about how those projects are planned, coordinated and implemented — and whether public convenience is being considered before roads are repeatedly dug up in the name of development.

Traffic pressure worsens
WASA water and drainage repair work has also been continuing for months on internal roads in different sectors of Uttara.

Traffic police officials said narrowed roads quickly lead to long queues of vehicles, even at minor signals, creating congestion that spreads across surrounding roads.

The situation is more severe in the densely populated areas of Madhubag, Malibagh and Khilgaon, where commercial and residential connecting roads have repeatedly been excavated for drinking water and gas connections.

In alleys near Rampura TV Centre, residents recently saw newly carpeted asphalt roads being dug up again.

Locals alleged that in some cases, one agency completes road construction only for another to arrive within two weeks and cut through the new surface to install wires or cables.

Such repeated excavation not only damages the quality of newly built roads but also creates muddy and hazardous conditions during the monsoon, making the roads almost unusable.