Airport-Kashaibarhi street: A commuter's nightmare

The one-kilometre street from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kashaibarhi level crossing is hardly a street in the rainy season.

Residents of Dakkhinkhan, Kashaibarhi, Gawair and Mollartek use this street full of potholes and rough edges adjacent to the airport.

Sabiha Sultana, an honours second year student of Government Titumir College  said she uses the street to go to college every day.

“The street is submerged under knee-deep water after an hour of rain. Rickshaws and auto-rickshaws turn turtle every now and then  during the rainy season.

“ Accidents occur frequently due to the potholes even when it is dry ” she told the bdnews24.com reporter, just as a rickshaw tumbled on the street.

Banker Rezaul Karim, who goes to office at Motijheel through this street for past five years, said he has to suffer traffic snarls every day.

“Moreover, we have to cross the street in knee-deep water on rainy days,” he said.

The residents of the area said the street has not been repaired in a long time.

“I have been in the area since 1995. The street's conditions is as it was 20 years ago. We fill the potholes up sometimes to avoid accidents. But the sands and brick-bats are removed in rain," Car trader Mohammad Idris , who lives in Mollartek , said.

Asked if the locals informed the authorities , he said all such efforts have fallen on deaf ears.

“People in the roads and highways (department) say they do not have the permission while those in the city corporation cannot be found,” he said.

He also alleged that the situation would not be so bad, if the sweepers of Dhaka City Corporation worked regularly.

Dhaka North City Corporation Chief Executive Officer BM Enamul Haque told bdnews24.com that there were some complications involved.

“The city corporation is tasked with the maintenance of the streets in the city while the Roads and Highways Department is supposed to maintain highways and the service roads linked to the highways.

“The street we are talking about is a service road linked to the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway. So we have nothing to do until the authority of the street is handed over  to us.

He said they had informed the department about the issue.