A blunder by the city fathers
Lamp posts installed in the middle of main road in Rangpur town
Electric poles, installed in the middle of the main street in Rangpur city, hinder smooth vehicular movement. Photo: STAR
Streetlight poles installed in the middle of the main road in Rangpur city speak of a blunder by the city fathers. Vehicles as well as commuters face immense trouble as the newly installed poles have divided the 30 feet wide road, stretching from Modern intersection to Rangpur Medical College, into two narrow lanes. Town service buses and other vehicles get stuck on the road everyday, killing valuable time of the commuters. Townspeople said the then municipal authorities had installed the poles without expanding the road. The job done by the municipal authorities was not based on logical thought, they added. They also expressed grave concern over the matter and urged the mayor and the district administration to immediately remove the streetlight poles from the middle of the main road. Contacted, former mayor Abdur Rouf Manik said they installed the poles before the end of the financial year. Otherwise, the money had to be returned, he said. Mosaddek Hossain Bablu, president of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), said they recently sent a letter to the Roads and Highways Department to remove the poles from the main road. Copies of the letter were sent to deputy commissioner, the superintendent of police and the municipal mayor, Bablu added. Sorfuddin Ahmed Jhontu, convener of Rangpur City Corporation Bastabayon Sangram Parishad and former mayor of Rangpur municipality, also sought removal of the poles and execution of the four-lane road extension work. Sadekul Islam, Executive Engineer of Roads and Highway Department, Rangpur, said they received a latter of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI). He said the municipal authorities did not set up road divider before installing the streetlight poles on the main road. As a result, traffic jam and accidents have increased. “We will send a letter to the RCC authorities very soon, asking them to immediately remove the poles from the road,” the engineer added. He further said that the construction of the four-lane road extension will start soon.
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