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one stop Cell coordination attempts fail?

SULTANA RAHMAN
The One stop cell a segment of Dhaka City Corporation's (DCC), formed with the aim of coordinating road digging has allegedly failed in its attempts as service providers do not follow guide lines outlined for the purpose.
The cell set up about two years back is often blamed for haphazard road digging across the city.
The DCC initiated road digging in parts to avoid inconvenience to commuters, but unplanned digging of 2,289 kilometres of roads has taken a different turn and commuters face acute problems because of this.
The cell authorities blamed the city's utility service providers like Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), Titas Gas, Dhaka Electricity Supply Authority (DESA) for the mess caused by haphazard road digging.
"The situation has improved presently compared to the earlier days where road digging continued over the years. But the aim of establishing the one stop cell is not fulfilled yet as utility service agencies do not follow the guidelines during road digging," com-
mented a senior official of the DCC.
"Roads have to be dug in phases to avoid people's inconvenience but utility service providers apparently dig the entire length of a road at a time," said the official. WASA has dug about half of a kilometer of road stretching from Notredame College to Fakirapool, violating the guidelines.
"Road digging is a never-ending problem in the city. We can only minimise the people's inconvenience because unplanned road digging, but can not stop it. Utility agencies need to dig the roads to up-keep their services," said Saifuddin Ahmed, DCC's chief executive officer and head of One Stop Cell.
Titas Gas dug Khilgaon-Bashabo road in April and the work was completed over a week ago, but the debris and rubble still lies on the road. As per the guidelines, the agency is expected to remove all obstacles on the road within a day of completion the work.
On completion of the work, the utility service agencies are expected to fill in the dug-up portion of road with sand, instead of mud, and cover the area with bricks making it fit for vehicular movement. The agencies are also expected to present to the cell plans made to remove debris, earth,
rubble and rehabilitation before the commencement of the digging process.
"No materials like pipes, iron rods can be transported to the site unless the digging is completed and the debris is taken away," said an official of the cell seeking anonymity.
The Mayor supervises the coordination activities of the cell while DCC's chief executive officer and head of the cell issues permits to dig the main thoroughfares. Agencies have to deposit fees for digging and in addition an equal sum as security deposits with the city corporation for each segment of work. Guidelines state that if agencies fail to complete the work within the stipulated time they will have to forfeit the security deposits placed for that particular segment. within the next two years, but permission will be granted repair or maintenance.
Presently, the underground utility lines stretch across the road. It is proposed that these lines should be reinstalled on one side of the road, to avoid digging up the centre of the roads for repairs or installations, to permit smooth flow of traffic. "We need full cooperation from the utility agencies to implement the guidelines," Saifuddin Ahmed said.
According to a consensus with the service providers, it was included in the guidelines that all road digging should be completed in 15 days, while only WASA will have 21 days to lay sewers and water lines.
"But utility agencies never complete their work within in time," alleged Saifuddin Ahmed.
The guidelines also stated that a road dug by a service provider once would not be approved for digging