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TRAFFIC MISMANAGEMENT

The curse of Mymensingh
City now ranks 9th slowest in world
PHOTO: STAR
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Mymensingh
Mymensingh has ranked ninth on the list of 20 slowest cities in the world, according to a study recently published by the US-based National Bureau of Economic Research.
Now it has become talk of the town.
Poor traffic movement has long been a misery to the Mymensingh city dwellers but there was no proper plan to improve the situation, residents alleged.
“We have been urging the authorities concerned to take concerted measures for smooth traffic movement in the city but there is no headway yet,” said Nurul Amin Kalam, secretary of Mymensingh Nagorik Andolon.
Traffic congestion has been turning worse over time with more new vehicles plying the roads, he alleged. Battery-run three wheelers, mostly unregistered, have become a menace.
Battery and CNG-run auto-rickshaws and trucks are often seen parked illegally at busy areas of the city including Shambhuganj Bridge and Boro Bazar areas, creating gridlocks and causing immense sufferings to commuters, Kalam said.
On several occasions, Mymensingh City Corporation authorities said they are working to improve the traffic situation in the city; however, no visible efforts have been taken yet.
People face an uphill task of reaching their destination in time, especially during the rush hours. Office goers, patients and students suffer the most, said Abbas Ali, an employee of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.
Azad Mia, a rickshaw puller, said he works for 10 hours a day but has to spend one-third of the time in traffic gridlocks.
MCC sources said around 7,000 licensed auto-rickshaws are plying the city. However, other sources revealed that around 30,000 auto-rickshaws occupy the city streets, most of those being unregistered.
Since Mymensingh was upgraded to a city corporation in 2018, the population rose.
Many residents said after the up-gradation as city corporation in 2018, the city population doubled but the roads have not been extended yet.
Contacted, Mymensingh Traffic Inspector Syed Mahbubur Rahman said planned roads are a pre-condition for smooth traffic management, but no extension work of city roads has been done in the last 30 years.
Meanwhile, the number of vehicles plying in the city has increased manifold, said Mahbub.
On various occasions, joint initiatives to combat traffic mismanagement came up in discussions, but no proper measure has been taken out yet, said advocate Nazrul Islam Chunnu, convener of Jonouddyogh.
Contacted, MCC Mayor Ekramul Haque Titu blamed traffic police for their poor performance. “If the unlicensed vehicles are checked regularly alongside widening the city roads and freeing the footpaths and roads from illegal occupation and parking, the situation will improve significantly,” he said.
MCC will take stern action against the trouble mongers to ease the traffic in the city, the mayor added.
A sea of auto-rickshaws clogging up roads and lanes, vehicles parked haphazardly and never-ending road development works have become a regular phenomenon in Mymensingh city. As a result, residents continue to bear the brunt of these menaces.