The residents of Mymensingh City Corporation have been facing multiple complexities due to accommodation and road transport problems existing in the city.
Mymensingh turned to City Corporation from municipality in 2018. From a city of 22 kilometers, it has now become a city of 91.31 sq kilometers. Its populations also increased to around 800,000.
After turning into a city corporation, the number of inhabitants increased to a few times. The number of vehicles plying on its streets is also escalated. However, the road transport system of the city didn’t improve much that can keep pace with the increasing number of population and vehicles. Hence, the divisional city has become the ‘city of complexities.’
Besides, the main problem of the 12 wards attached to the city corporation that was previously downtown area is road transport system. Especially, as Char Ishwardia, Char Nilakhkhia and Sirta areas are islands, the infrastructure of these areas are very weak.
The residents of the city corporation urged to build a traffic jam-free, environment-friendly and clean city and initiate planned urbanization in 21 wards. Besides, the noted personalities of the city also urged to create a clean and hassle-free city by building better roads, culverts, sewerage system, water-supply line and improving other infrastructures.
They said the undeclared easy-bike stands have been built at different important points of the city, and one syndicate has been involved in money extortion. Besides, tens of thousands of units of electricity are also get consumed by these easy-bikes. In addition, this three-wheeler vehicles cause many road accidents in the city which leads to injury and disableness of many passengers and passers-by.
General secretary of Mymensingh Citizen Movement engineers Nurul Amin Kalam said, “Due to the lack of control in easy-bike transportation, traffic jam in different important points of the city has now become a common scenario. As the problem is getting severe day by day, it’s high time we took right initiative.”
Senior citizens of the city also marked the presence of 22 rail-crossing as one of the main reasons of traffic jam. According to them, every time when the train crosses the rail-crossing, the vehicles have to remain stopped for 5 to 15 minutes.
According to the sources of Mymensingh Rail Station, vehicles remain standing while train passes through the 22 rail-crossings. They have to stand while 29 train passes through the crossings 58 times a day where the vehicle remains standing from 7 to 10 minutes. That means 7 to 8 hours are being lost in 22 points.
Mymensingh Traffic Division Inspector (Admin) Syed Mahbubur Rahman said, “The rail crossings are one of the main reasons of traffic jam in the city. If the rail-stations are relocated from the city, the traffic jam situation will be improved.
On the other hand, according to the sources of MCC, after Mymensigh became City Corporation, 12 new wards are added to existing 21. As a result, 69 sq. kilometers are added to the 21 sq. kilometers of the city. However, the road transport system, road light and other citizen-facilities are almost absent there. Especially, as Ishwardia, Char Nilakkhia and Sirta areas are sandy islands, the citizen-infrastructure there is very weak there.
Convener of Janaudyog advocate Nazrul Islam Chunnu said, “As the areas of union parishad have been attached to City Corporation, it should take such initiatives that can fulfill all kind of expectations of the city dwellers.”
@The artcile appeared on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on October 14, 2022 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque
