Even after several mishaps and recent deaths surrounding the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Dhaka, the Gazipur portion of the project continues to operate with no safety measures in place for the public.
Pedestrians and vehicles are at risk as workers lift heavy equipment, girders, and other construction materials improperly.
On Wednesday and Thursday, this correspondent observed girders, road dividers, bricks, cement, rods, and other construction materials laying on the road, unguarded.
However, in some places, authorities have set up security fences with bamboo and wood.
The 12-kilometre road from Dhaka’s Abdullahpur to Chandana Chowrasta in Gazipur has become a name of fear among locals.
Even though the construction work is going on for over 10 years, some parts of the highway only have two functional lanes.
Dhaka TribuneConsequently, the vehicular movement remains slow along the route, resulting in traffic jams.
Sources at the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority in Gazipur told Dhaka Tribune that at least 55,000 vehicles operate in Gazipur using roads and highways in 24 hours.
And more than half of the vehicles operate on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway on a daily basis, where the project is being constructed.
Alam Asia Paribahan bus driver Abdul Baten said vehicles and people constantly have to take the risky path as there is no security fencing available near the project site.
“Several roads under the project pose a safety risk due to incomplete road dividers,” he added.
A businessman from Gazipur’s Mosjid Market said: “We can see the project’s work from our market’s third floor. People have to walk under the construction site when workers are lifting girders or other materials. It’s very risky.”
He added that authorities did not put any barriers that would prevent objects from falling on people or vehicles.
Another bus driver of Probhati-Banasree Paribahan, Arju Mia said some portions of the road have speed limit signs while the other portions do not.
"Previously, authorities placed security fences made of tin sheds, but they too, have been removed now,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ashraful Islam, a resident of Gazipur’s Chayabithi area said he works as a technical manager at an RMG factory.
“I have to stand under the under construction BRT project in Chandana road for buses. It has been three yeats, but I still get scared each time,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
BRT Project Director ASM Ilias Shah said 82% of the project’s work is completed. However, he said, completing the rest of the work may not be possible by the end of the year.
A "no safety, no work" policy had been in force before and it still was, he said, adding that measures would be taken soon in consultation with the contractors for better security.
Moreover, if people from different local communities gave suggestions on how to provide better security in the surrounding areas, the project authorities would take them into consideration as well, Ilias Shah said.
Mohsin Uddin, driver of Gazipur Paribahan in Tongi’s College Gate area, said that workers are also at risk as there is no strong security fence installed around the project site.
Each day, workers hammer and weld iron under risky conditions, he said.
Gazipur City Corporation Mayor Asadur Rahman said the project officials had promised to prevent risks in various meetings, but they have not implemented them yet.
“They even talked about constructing alternative roads for vehicles and people but those too weren’t built. Thousands of vehicles and millions of people are traveling on the roads risking their lives every day,” he added.
Nayan Mia, deputy director of the Gazipur Environment Department, said that employees of the contractor company had been fined several times for not having security fences, not spraying water to control dust, and not having the necessary measures to deal with hazardous conditions on the roads.
Dhaka TribuneIn 2012, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) greenlighted the project at a cost of Tk2,040 and it was supposed to conclude in 2016.
Despite the BRT being a fast-track project of the government, it has missed deadlines several times.
Later, when the project could not meet its timeframe, the government set December 2018 as the new deadline while doubling its cost to Tk4,264.82 crore.
Experts have said the delays have prolonged the suffering of people as the construction work interrupts traffic on nearby roads every day.
The Dhaka-Gazipur Highway has become almost unusable due to the construction of the 20.5km-BRT, which regularly results in long tailbacks and has created numerous potholes.
On August 15, at least five people, including children, of the same family were killed when a 150-tonne girder fell on their car from a crane during BRT project work in Uttara.
So far, nine people, including the crane driver, his assistant, the contractor's security personnel.
The incident sparked outrage with many blaming the BRT of negligence. The project has been halted temporarily.
After the accident was reported, several experts said that the consultant and officials of the BRT project must shoulder some of the responsibility for the incident.
Prof Adil Mohammad Khan, executive director of the Institute for Planning and Development said: “Contractors, project officials, and consultants all have responsibilities. It is the duty of consultants and engineers to check safety and security when the contractor is working. A contractor should never be working without project officials and consultants.”
Previously, sources from the RTHD sand Dhaka BRT Company said the construction company has been working without following safety and security guidelines since the beginning. The contractor has installed around 60 box girders in the last two years.
An RTHD official on condition of anonymity said: “The contractor always tries to save money. It is the responsibility of the consultant and the project authority to ensure they are safety compliant. If you don’t do that, it is normal that the quality of work will deteriorate, and accidents will lead to death.”
However, Road Transport and Highways Division (RTHD) Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri on Tuesday exclusively blamed the contractor and said they may face contract cancellation, fines, and blacklisting. The punishment will be confirmed after submission of the final probe report.
