To any keenly observing citizen. il will appear that the city's roads, chains, and sewerage systems suffer from lack of proper maintenance and neglect. There has been only sporadic and Isolated efforts at improvement which in effect fall to bridge a major gap In the city's health, sanitation and environmental infrastructure

There has been no dearth of media publicity of the public suffering and complaint In respect of specific areas of the citv in this regard. Yet the reaction of the concerned authorities has been, by and large indifferent or negative. Observers are of the opinion that most of the city's road network outside a small part of VIP roads lie in a state of ill-repair and proper maintenance.

Following every monsoon, the city roads in many areas suffer from water-logging. During the last monsoon, rainfall had been abnormally high causing many areas and even high roads to be inundated on a scale never seen in recent past. The incessant rains coupled with tiie heavy pressure of the mounting volume of vehicular traffic cause damage to the road surface in many areas, most of which develop large pot-holes and large-scale breakage in road surface. Repair work is never taken up in time. For example, the stretch of the main road running beside the 5-star Sonargaon Hotel along Kawran Bazar has been in a state of continued disrepair for a long time, there by creating conditions under which a ride by any mode of conveyance over that stretch of road is a painful experience.

The continued default of the concerned agencies in the mat-

ter of repair and reconstruction leads to a process of unabated decay which presents a sorry picture of the major part of the city's road network. Literally crores of taka are wasted every year on poor road repair work. It is felt that if roads are to be repaired with quality materials and in a way that will ensure durability, then the whole process - from selecting contractors. purchasing materials and supervising the work done - will have to be thoroughly .reviewed. It is the experience of many who have travelled to places like Bangkok or Singapore that roads in those places are well-maintained and durable, not subject to short-term defects. We have recently observed distances where groups of contractors combine together to get tenders accepted in their favour. without allowing tender by any outside parties even to the extent of preventing sales of tender forms to them. This monopoly of work tenders by Interested groups tends to undermine competitiveness in work tender. Which paves the way for poor quality of work at higher rates.

Next to the drains are the city's drains in equally wretched condition. There has been no lack of media publicity about the poor functioning of the city's drainage system which has been a major ’cause of general suffering of the citizens. Replacement of the surface drains by storm sewers has not worked satisfactorily.

The over all situation that has resulted is so wretched that it has also become the biggest cause of pollution of environment and direct threat to health

and sanitation of. the city's population.

The sanitation system Is made further pitiable by the city's time-worn sewerage system. Some of the underground sewers are said to date to the twenties of the last century, particularly In old Dhaka. It is felt by the sufferers that the sewerage lines, where not per-forming well, should be replaced on a priority basis. An efficient sewerage system is regarded to be more important from the sanitation point of view than even roads with good surface.

Thus the stale of city's sewerage is as galling as the drainage and roads system Is at its worst. The general public, the tax payers In particular, have come to react with a growing sense a frustration over the inaction and inertia of the public utility agencies such as the Dhaka City Corporation and the WAS A.

Yet another aspect connected with the city's sanitation is the present state of negligence on the part of the Dhaka City Corporation staff in regular clearance of the roadside garbage dumps. The big garbage containers are at present mostly placed by the main roads. On account of default of timely clearance, this gaibage containers overflow with their nauseating contents vitiating thonearby environment.

In view of the above picture of the city's distressing situation In infrastructural aspects, observers tend to feel that city is sinking into gradual civic chaos and remedial measures can be delayed only at the cost of the health and well-being of the entire population of the city.