When will sufferings on new Mirpur 12-Uttara road end?

A small undeveloped section of the new road connecting Mirpur-12 and Uttara South metro station is causing immense suffering to the commuters who initially found the road to be of great benefit. 

The connecting road, stretching underneath the metro rail, appeared as a blessing for the people of Mirpur and Uttara as it cut commute time and distance between the two densely populated areas of the capital by half.

The road was constructed by the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) during the construction of the metro rail. The road soon became popular for its time-saving advantage. 

Although there are sparkling new roads on both ends, a kilometre section was never fully developed.

Saimum Reza, who regularly travels through the road on a motorcycle, told The Business Standard the route saves him at least 6-km of travel distance.

"However, just this one kilometre is quashing the road's benefits. Traffic often grinds to a halt and we get stuck for hours," Saimum said.

Yasin Mia, a private car driver, told TBS that sometimes it takes almost an hour to cross this small section due to traffic jams.

"Just a slight development of this section can end all these sufferings," he said.

Although there is enough room to expand on both sides, only a quarter is paved and the remaining is filled with bricks, sand and soil. 

Vehicles often are forced to veer off the narrow road and drive on unpaved sides, causing traffic jams and leaving the area in a dusty mess.

Furthermore, the paved part is also breaking off due to the immense traffic pressure. 

The Dhaka North officials said they cannot develop or repair the road because the city corporation does not own the land. 

Dhaka North's Executive Engineer Md Kamrul Hasan told TBS, "As this part of the road has not been handed over to us, it is not possible to repair or develop it." 

However, Dhaka North mayor has written to the related ministry to arrange the handover to the city corporation, he said, adding that they were yet to receive any reply.

After the inauguration of metro rail, MAN Siddique, managing director of DMTCL, said the road was supposed to be built by the city corporation but the metro authorities constructed it keeping in mind the benefits it would bring to the people.

"I have already written to the city corporation for the maintenance of this road," he added.