Flyover is a curse on cities, built for financial benefit to some: Abu Sayeed

Flyovers are ‘a curse’ on the cities and these are being built in Bangladesh to help ‘some people pocket a huge amount of money’, Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed has said.

The Bishwo Shahitto Kendro founder and chief executive spoke at a seminar organised by Nirapad Sarak Chai, an organisation working for safe roads, in Dhaka on Saturday.

“Many cities in the world are tearing down the flyovers. We will also have to take them down at some point,” he said. “Flyovers are a curse on cities.”  

Only some people make profit from the construction of the flyovers in Bangladesh, he said.

“This is the fact. Flyovers mean money. The project cost is raised from Tk 2 billion to Tk 20 billion. An iota of this money in someone’s pocket means a huge amount,” he added.

Abu Sayeed also questioned the rationale for the flyovers arguing that the streets beneath the flyovers remain unused.

“Then why do we need flyovers when we can use the streets?” he asked.

The Bishwo Shahitto Kendro founder blamed the flyovers for traffic congestions also.

He suggested controlling rickshaws and freeing the pavements from encroachers to reduce traffic jams.

The Nirapad Sarak Chai organised the seminar to mark its 25th founding anniversary. Its founder actor Ilias Kanchon thanked all for being with the organisation.

He also urged all to change their habits that raise the risk of traffic accidents.

Monjuly Kazi, the wife of ATN News CEO Ashfaque (Mishuk) Munier who was killed in a traffic accident in 2011, advised the government to open a centre for monitoring to reduce accidents.

In the keynote paper, Nirapad Sarak Chai Secretary General Ehsanul Haque Kamal said the number of accidents dropped to 2,626 in 2015 and 2,316 in 2016 but increased to 3,349 last year.

Pedestrians top the list of victims of traffic accidents, according to Kamal, who blamed jaywalking for the deaths.

Over 2,800 pedestrians were killed in accidents last year and the number is over 50 percent of total deaths in such accidents, he said.

Kamal also identified motorcycles and unfit vehicles as key reasons for traffic accidents.

He suggested including lessons on traffic safety in textbooks to reduce the accidents.