The Dhaka-Chattogram highway considered the lifeline of the country's economy, has regrettably devolved into a mere 'local road' plagued by a lack of expansion, pervasive market stalls, illegal and sluggish traffic, counter-flow, unplanned U-turns, and overall mismanagement. This state of affairs has severely hampered the import-export flow of goods, leading to a waste of valuable time and energy.

Responding to these challenges, traders are vociferously calling for the expeditious transformation of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway into an eight-lane dedicated expressway. The urgency of this upgrade is underscored by the fact that more than 50 percent of the country's GDP is intricately tied to the economic dynamics between Dhaka and Chattogram.

Presently, the highway is flanked by 27 markets, with over 10 of them experiencing chronic traffic congestion. The influx of wholesalers and retailers in these markets has throttled the movement of trucks, vans, CNG autorickshaws, rickshaws, and pedestrians, forcing a significant reduction in the speed of passenger and goods vehicles to a mere 10-15 km per hour. This bottleneck effect ripples across the highway, aggravated by the lack of essential overpasses or underpasses at crucial junctions, culminating in prolonged traffic snarls.

Traffic jam at Sitakunda, Bhatiari, Barobkunda, Mireshorai, Bariyarhat, Chauddagram Bus Stand, Chandina Bus Stand, Nimsar Bazar, Paduar Bazar, Madanpur Mor, Sonargaon Mor, Gouripur Bazar, Elliotganj Bazar, Madhaiya Bazar, Ghazaria Bhaberchar, Sonargaon, Signboard, Shimrail, Kanchpur on the highway has become a common occurrence on highways.

Apart from this, accidents are also happening due to not following proper rules while turning the vehicle at half a hundred U-turns on the highway. An accident leads to long traffic jams. From Chattogram's city gate to Dhaka's Jatrabari, traffic jams are often created due to illegal parking and the construction of shops along the road by occupying the roads.

Although CNG autorickshaws and slow vehicles are banned on the highway, these vehicles are plying in many areas including Mireshorai, Sitakunda, Feni, and Cumilla. It is alleged that the local police and administration are managing these prohibited vehicles on the roads. In some areas, CNG autorickshaws and illegal vehicle drivers are also seen driving in the opposite direction to avoid the eyes of the police and shorten the journey. It often causes accidents.

Questions have also been raised about the safety system of this highway. Even though various security agencies are deployed in different areas for the security of highways, robberies, and robberies are always happening. On January 5, the wheels of at least 30 vehicles burst as miscreants strewed sharp iron sheets at Mireshorai and Sitakunda sections of the highway.

Sarwar Alam, director of Mustafa Hakim Group, said that currently the country's economic activities are being conducted around Chattogram. If deep sea port, bay terminal, Bangabandhu industrial city, and transit-transshipment of neighboring countries are started in Matarbari, the importance of this highway will increase manifold. So it is necessary to make an expressway on this highway quickly.

Chittagong Chamber of Commerce President Omar Hajjaz said, “Dhaka-Chattogram highway is the pipeline of the country's economy. The importance of the Chattogram -Cox's Bazar highway will increase manifold if the deep sea port under construction at Matarbari is opened. Therefore, the creation of a separate control access expressway is the need of the hour.”

Superintendent of Police of Highway Comilla Region Khairul Alam said, “The operation to remove the market from the highway and stop illegal traffic was stopped during the election. It will be reopened soon.”

Vehicles moving in the opposite direction: Our Feni correspondent said that various types of legal and illegal vehicles are moving in the opposite direction on the Feni section of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. From Shashardi Union of Feni Sadar Upazila to Dhumghat of Chagalnaia Upazila, the entire 31 km stretch of the highway was seen vehicles moving in the opposite direction. Accidents often occur there.

Due to the vehicles moving in the opposite direction, the vehicles moving in the right direction are also getting in trouble. Need to slow down. In addition to wasting time, it also wastes fuel.

Highway truck driver Shaheed said, “Suddenly, after seeing the cars coming in the opposite direction, you have to face a lot of problems. Loaded vehicles cannot be stopped by short braking. Many times, there is no opportunity to cut the right side and go to the side.”

Highway Police OC Md Mustafa Kamal said, “There are 47 feeder roads in Feni." From these roads, the cars suddenly come up on the highway. We are trying to prevent unauthorized vehicles from plying on the highway. Every day we file cases against 10-15 vehicles. But not all cars are visible to us all the time.”

“Apart from this, there is a decision of the District Law and Order Committee to allow the vehicles coming from the three roads of the city to move in the opposite direction on some parts of the highway,” he said.

Accidents due to illegal autorickshaws: Daudkandi (Cumilla) correspondent said that accidents often occur due to illegal autorickshaws in the Daudkandi section of Cumilla on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway.

On October 19, an autorickshaw and a bus collided head-on at Jinglatli in Daudkandi on the highway. All three passengers of the autorickshaw were killed in the incident. The bus also fell into the nearby pond.

Many of these autorickshaw drivers are children. Age between 10 to 11 years. Daudkandi Highway Traffic Police Surgeon Mojahid said, “We are regularly patrolling the highway, fine those who bring autorickshaws on the highway and file cases.”

Illegal three-wheelers on the highway by giving money: Our Narayanganj and Siddhirganj correspondents said that illegal three-wheelers are roaming on the Dhaka-Chattogram-Sylhet highway. On both sides of the highway, there is a stand for prohibited vehicles at the mouth of each lane. Most of the time these illegal vehicles are driving in the opposite direction on the highway to reduce the distance.

Traffic jams are created, and accidents are also happening. It is alleged that an unscrupulous group of highway police is collecting crores of taka monthly by allowing these prohibited vehicles to ply on the highway. Linemen have been placed to collect the money at various places on the highway.

Yesterday afternoon, hundreds of battery-powered rickshaws, CNG, Laguna were seen moving freely at the Shimrail intersection of Dhaka-chattogram-Sylhet highway, Signboard, Kanchpur, Madanpur, Mograpara, Tarab, Bhulta, Gauchia and Kanchane under the nose of the administration. Auto-rickshaws can be seen driving in the opposite direction over Kanchpur Bridge itself. Most of the drivers of these vehicles are children. The situation is the same on the highway of the Bhulta-Gauchia area of Rupganj.

(The report was published on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on January 24 and rewritten in English by Tanvir Raihan) ​