Lack of civicamenities has been adding to the woes of 150 million citizens of Dhaka city whoblame the utility service providers for their manifold sufferings.
Dilapidated roads, water logging and poor wastemanagement have particularly made the ancient city unlivable, city dwellerssaid.
Both the Dhakacity corporations have failed to rise to the expectation of the taxprayers due to lack of cooperation among the utility serviceproviders such as Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Titas GasTransmission and Distribution Company, Dhaka Power Distribution Company, DhakaElectric Supply Company and Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited,according to officials of the two corporations.
In spite ofverbal or written instructions, authorities of the utility service providerscould not complete road repair work, installation of gas, water cable, seweragepipelines on time, it is alleged. "We are paying tax but getting no services in return," said MdRafique Ahmed, an employee of a broker's house at Motijheel. Poor stateof roads, water logging and lack of waste management have simply compounded ourmiseries, he said. He complained that even a little rainfall inundates roads at Shanti Nagar, Baily Road, Arambagh, Avoy Daslane and many other places adjacent to commercial hub Motijheel.
Continuous road digging makes the roads dustyunder sunshine and muddy during rain. Household wastes on here and there, mosquito menace, absence of streetlights at many places frequently accentuate the miseries of the people,headded.
If we aredeprived of utility services very often, what for we are giving taxes,? Heasked. "Some utility service providers have deliberately delayedcompletion of their tasks leading to people's sufferings" Md, ShahjahanAli Mollah, administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) told The NewNation on Saturday.
Blamingauthorities of WASA, Mollah said the organisation usually digs road more thanthey were permitted to do.
Md. JahangirAlam, Chief Engineer of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), said differentgovernment agencies are now digging city roads to repair and install theutility services line and was supposed to finish the task by 30 April.
"We haverequested authorities of all service providers verbally or in written not toprolong their the work, but they failed to do it timely," he alleged. They have requested to extend time by 7July, Alam added.
Citing hugesufferings of the people of some southern parts of the city, Jahangir saidconsidering greater interest of the people, the government gave permission tocut the Manik Nagar to Tikatuli Rail Crossing and K M Das Lane to Hatkhola Roadto facilitate construction work of Gulistan-Jatrabari Flyover as some utility servicesline remained under those roads. All tasks of the surrounding areas of theflyover would be completed by 10 July, he assured.
Alam said WASAsometimes started road digging without approval from the corporation.
Refuting allallegations WASA Managing Director Engineer Taksin A Khan said, main trunk lineof Sayedabad water treatment plant face-2 has been installed under MirpurTechnical crossing to green road traffic signal. Foreign companies are workingin the project and they had been given 15-month time to complete the task."We hope they would be able to finish it within 7 months," he said.
However,installation of pipeline on Rampura to Mailibagh and Gulshan Shooting Club toNabisco roads is expected to complete within the scheduled timeframe.
Khan confirmedthat WASA is not doing any development work after 31 may in the capital except the above mentioned project. Whenvisited different areas of the capital, this correspondent found that theutility services providers dug roads from Malibagh to Rampura, Mirpur-Raselsquare-Green Road, Malibagh to Kuril Bishwa Road, Gulshan 1 to Mohakhali, ManikNagar to Tikatuli Rail Crossing, K M Das Lane to Hatkhola, Taltala to KaziparaRaod and many other places in the capital. This reporter also found, household waste remained haphazardly sprawl onthe road and spreading bad smell.
Bipan KumarSaha, Chief Waste Management Officer of DNCC, however, said regular drives havebeen strengthen and taking into consideration of rainy season, we took somespecial programme to clean the city.
Under theprogrammme, they are also removing household waste by the different privatecompanies, he informed.