Approach roads to the important ferry ghats at Daulatdia and Aricha are reported to be in bad shape. An eye witness account of the conditions of the eight such roads — three at Daulatdia and five at Aricha — was published on Saturday in this paper. The reporter saw the pitiable conditions of roads and also talked to the owners and drivers of vehicles carrying goods and passengers on this route to northern and southern parts of Bangladesh. Cross-river traffic at Aricha and Natakhola should have thinned as a result of the BBJ bridge but the recent experience of temporary boycott of the bridge by the bus owners due to illegal toll collection by mastaans and political goons has resulted in a renewed rush at the Aricha ferry ghat for journeys to the northern districts. In fact, the importance of Aricha ghat can never be minimised, the BBJ bridge notwithstanding.

There are different opinions about making the approach roads pucca. The BIWTA Deputy Chief Engineer gave his reasons for not doing so. It is true the ghats are shifted depending on the water level of the river, so that a huge spending on concrete or ashphalted roads may be uneconomic. But the allegations of misuse of the meagre funds available for repair and maintenance should be seriously looked into. The Deputy Chief Engineer’s refusal to disclose the allocation for maintenance as being 'very secret’ is also untenable because this is no private money. The taxpayers have a right to know how the public money is spent. We strongly recommend that Immediate steps be taken by the relevant authority to properly repair the approach roads in the greater interest of public safety and smooth transportation of people and goods.