Residents living in Gulshan and Banani, considered posh areas of the capital, are annoyed as they are suffering due to the sorry state of roads in their local area.
Although the main thoroughfares are in a good state, most of the internal roads in the locality have been worn out by vehicular and pedestrian movement.
Hundreds of potholes have developed on various roads, making for a bumpy ride for commuters.
Locals said their woes have no bounds during the rainy season, when water accumulates on the dilapidated roads.
Residents of the area claimed that they have made several requests to the concerned authorities regarding the problems, but to no avail.
Locals said Wasa had excavated a number of roads to install sewerage pipelines and repair old lines. However, after finishing their work, the state-owned water supply authority did not take a single measure to repair the roads, they claimed.
To make matters worse, debris piled up by Wasa staff on the roadside is yet to be removed, creating difficulties for neighbouring residents.
During a recent visit to the areas in question, this Dhaka Tribune correspondent witnessed water logging in potholes on most of the internal roads.
Gulshan’s road 36 and its walkway, as well as roads 23, 24, 126, 130, 132 and 133 are all unfit for traffic, presenting a risk to pedestrians and commuters. The same is true of Banani’s roads 7 and 8 on Block F, as well as road 5 on Block G.
The road behind the extended head office of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) near Banani Kitchen Market has also become uneven and bumpy, due to the negligence of the city authority in maintaining the road.
Nazrul Islam, a resident of Gulshan, said: “Residents in the area have been suffering to some extent for a long time, as most of the roads have remained untended for the last eight to 10 years.
“Many of the roads in these areas have become unfit due to a lack of maintenance and immediate renovation is a must to keep smooth communication,” he said.
“After only a light shower, the roads become muddy and slippery which sometimes causes accidents,” he added.
On Road 14 in Banani, drainage and sewerage lines have been repaired, but Wasa employees are yet to remove debris from the road and footpath, impeding the movement of both pedestrians and vehicles.
Rihan Islam, a student of the University of South Asia, said: “We are facing difficulties at every moment because of road digging.”
Brigadier General Md Abul Khair, chief engineer of the DNCC, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have been informed about the dilapidated condition of a few roads in the Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara residential areas.”
“We have a plan to carry out repairs on all the bumpy roads in these areas,” he said.
“We have submitted proposals to the Local Government Division and are waiting for the Development Project Proforma (DPP) to get approval from the ministry,” he added.