280-Foot-Wide Kaliakair Highway Shrunk to Just 20 Feet by Illegal Encroachment, Raising Accident Risks

Shafipur is a busy hub on the Dhaka Tangail highway in Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur. More than 20 thousand vehicles and about 1.5 lakh people use this road every day. But illegal hawkers and three wheelers have taken over the road, and walking there has become a nightmare for ordinary people.

Our visit shows that a syndicate runs more than 100 illegal shops in three to four rows. The shops go past the footpath and stand on the main road. On one side of the road, auto rickshaws stand in lines. On the other side, hawkers have set up a market. Locals say the road is about 280 feet wide, but illegal occupants hold a large part of it. In some places, only 20 feet remain for vehicles. This causes heavy traffic jams and great suffering for pedestrians.

More than 20 schools and colleges and over 100 garment factories stand on both sides of the highway. The footpath is lost completely, so students and garment workers suffer the most.

A Class Ten girl of Shafipur Model School spoke with tears in her voice. She said she cannot walk on the footpath, so she must walk on the main road and bear the pushes of shopkeepers. She lives in constant fear of falling under a bus or truck. She often reaches school late because of this.

Ms. Rahima Begum, a worker at a sweater factory, shared the same pain. She said that without a footpath, it takes more than one hour to walk one kilometre in the morning and evening. She said rickshaw pullers also take advantage and demand Tk 30 for a Tk 10 fare. Local residents say traffic jams last all day, but police pretend not to see them.

Mr. A H M Fakhrul Hossain, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Kaliakair, spoke about the suffering on the Shafipur highway. He said he knows about the footpath occupation. He said this is a national highway, so officials will not allow any illegal structure here. He said he has already given orders to the Highway Police and the police station. He said officials will soon run a mobile court and take strict legal action against the occupiers.

Mr. Md. Humayun Kabir Khan, the newly elected General Secretary of the Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation and Convener of the Highway Traffic Jam Resolution Committee, voiced his anger. He said students and working people are held hostage on this road. He warned that he will take to the field with workers if officials do not clear the footpath very soon.

The SP of the Highway Police said the highway is under their watch. He said police are busy with special security for Durga Puja now. As soon as the puja ends, he said, police will run a mobile court with the Crime Division and clear the whole road of hawkers and stands. Victims in the area hope the administration will act fast and make the road fit for travel.