Halishahar lacks civic amenities

A dilapidated road at Halishahar residential area, left, while people travel to different city areas in loaded tempo, right

The locality, the biggest residential area in the port city, is beset with dilapidated roads and streets, water crisis, salinity in water and erratic power supply. Besides, there is no proper transport service from here to other city areas.

These problems have recently gone beyond all limits of tolerance.

The dwellers of different blocks, including A, B, J, I, H, New I and adjoining wards like South Kattali, North Halishahar and Rampur are the worst sufferers.

The school and college students, office goers and garment workers of these areas are facing severe transport problems for lack of bus service in two link roads -- Dewanhat to Failyatalibazar via Nayabazar and Dewanhat to Olankar Intersection -- that connect this zone with other key areas of the port city.

Commuters mostly depend on a very few number of tempos and CNG-run auto-rickshaws to reach workplace in the city centre.

Rajib Khan Subha, a resident of H-block, was standing at Dewanhat Intersection on Saturday morning for a tempo to return home from his office at Anderkilla.

Rajib said he is hardly able to reach office in time as he is to change three vehicles from his residence daily.

"I usually go to Nayabazar Moor by a rickshaw from my residence, then to Dewanhat by a tempo and finally reach my office by a city service bus," he said, adding that his sufferings will lessen if a bus service is launched from South Kattali or Nayabazar to Bahaddarhat or any other destinations."

Despite having route permit to ply Nayabazar to Oxyzen via Dewanhat and Newmarket, most of the tempos stop at Dewanhat and Newmarket, causing much of the sufferings to Halishahar people.

The people of these areas submitted a memorandum to the City Bus Minibus Human Hauler Association leaders for launching a bus service on August 14 in this regard, which has not yet been entertained.

Association leader Abdul Hakim said they are taking preparation for necessary steps in this regard.

The people also suffer from acute water crisis as Water and Sewerage Authority (Wasa), Chittagong did not take any step to ensure adequate supply of water in the area.

People are to buy deep tube well water at a higher price that ranges between Tk 50 to Tk 70 per drum for their daily uses.

"The tube well and deep tube well water is salty and full of iron," said Abu Syed Sohel, a resident of South Kattali.

Students and business community here are victims of serious loadshedding for the last few years as there is no sign of any immediate remedy to their grievances.

"Sometimes we get confused whether we live in a city or in a village as we are to experience serious loadshedding all the year," said Suman, a student of Chittagong University and inhabitant of A-block.

Siddique Ahmad Chowdhury and Kabir Ahmed, ward commissioners of South Kattali and Rampur wards urged the authorities concerned to take proper measures to improve the conditions of the locality.