A major concern that prevails in Bangladesh is the state of our roads. Despite other areas of the country being developed rapidly, most of our roads, even in major cities, seem to still be of subpar standards, leading to a plethora of hazards.
To that end, it comes as good news that the government is set to commence a pilot project for the construction of smart roads, particularly in Sylhet.
The project will utilize steel fibre, steel slag, and an eco-friendly nanotech product, acrylic polymer, to ensure the construction of cost-effective, safe, and waterproof roads. The roads are also expected to be long-lasting, with little damage caused by regular perils of the areas like flooding or clogged water.
This is a promising initiative, as not only are the select areas in Sylhet in need of improved roads, but with the success of this pilot project, the road network across the nation could be updated significantly -- which is something that we've been in need of since time immemorial.
It has been a priority for our government to expand routes within the nation to facilitate faster travel and more economic activity, which will essentially drive our development efforts forward.
However, the haphazard build and poor maintenance of said roadways have been detrimental to the cause, with an unnecessary amount of time and resources being put into undoing the recurring damage.
In this regard, the new technology being considered for this project is, no doubt, promising, and the plans align with our sustainable development goals.
The relevant authorities in question must, therefore, be meticulous in seeing this project through. They must also ensure that the kinks in the plan are identified and corrected along the way, so that the technology can then be implemented on roads across the country.
This is a great opportunity for our people, and it's time we do it right. There should be no more room for errors in the construction of something as vital to our progress as our roads, and with careful execution, we can be on our way to further development.