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After the inauguration of the much sought-after circular waterway at Ashulia point, it now appears that it has been built for no purpose at all. Should we believe that a staggering amount of Tk 360 million has gone down the drain? Or, in other words, what was the rationale behind wasting so much money for building waterway that is serving no purpose at all?
Newspaper reports say that much trumpeted 29-kilometre circular waterway services did not operate between Sadarghat and Ashulia on the following day of its inauguration. Two motor launches were supposed to operate on the route at a regular interval. Besides, a sea truck was also scheduled to be available for the people who want to go for pleasure cruising in the afternoon.
Local people reported that they had waited for the launches at the terminals at several points for long hours. Some traders, who wanted to transport their merchandise from one point to the other on the route, went home disappointed. A few local tourists failed to get hold of the sea truck in the afternoon.
It was not known immediately what prompted the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to cancel the scheduled deployment of the launches and the sea truck. Is not the IWTA accountable to the commuters who failed to avail themselves of its services?
Let us see what the BIWTA, according to newspaper reports, promised to make available the facilities to the commuters on the route. It claimed that nearly one hundred thousand people were expected to commute and 6,000 tonnes of goods to be carried on the route daily. It said the people will now be able to travel and carry goods without hassles from Ashulia to Sadarghat, the trading heartland of Dhaka.
In order to facilitate safe journey of the commuters, it has set up ten landing stations at Swarighat with two pontoons, Kholamora, Basila, Rayerbazar, Lalbagh, Shinnirtek, Birulia, Aminbazar, Gabtoli and Ashulia under the first phase of the circular waterway. Four of the stations are considered to be the major ones.
The project concept paper of the second phase of the waterway, involving a cost of Tk 2.94 billion, was submitted to the Ministry of Shipping in January last. The second phase of the waterway, from Ashulia to Kanchpur Bridge via Tongi, will be completed under three organisations BIWTA, DCC (Dhaka City Corporation) and LGED (Local Government Engineering Department).
The BIWTA will be the lead agency in completing the second phase and its task will be to create scope of transportation by improving the navigability of Turag, Tongi Khal and Balu River.
So a lot of plans and programmes are included in the second phase of the work. The drum-beating has become a perennial issue for the agencies concerned. Money-mongers are always look for the opportunities to extract money. This time, second phase of the work is giving a wide open opportunity to grab another chunk of Tk 3.0 billion in the name of dredging and building landing stations and pontoons.
The objective behind building the circular waterway was highly impressive. Once built, the promoters say it will help ease city's bizarre traffic jams. The commuters can find safe and easy journey to their destinations through the waterway. The pressure on city's commuting system will then largely ease.
Did it happen? No and there is no way it could happen in the foreseeable future. This scribe, along with an American friend, had embarked on a country boat ride from Ashulia landing station one day before its inauguration.
The narrow lane of the excavated canal can hardly provide any room for two motor launches to pass at a time. At many points, dredging was done half-heartedly. Our boatman could touch the middle point of the channel by his hand 'machine'! The waterway has no circular sort of shape at all. It looks like a temporary water body built as a 'showpiece'. When dignitaries will arrive, interpreters will start saying 'Look sir, this is the country's only circular waterway…'
Fellow American, himself a consultant for a fishery project, agreed to the contention that the waterway would hardly ease traffic jams. From Ashulia point, the distance to the city heartland is 10 kilometres. If one arrives safely at Ashulia from Sadarghat by waterway, then he will have to go to his destinations at Uttara or Gulshan by bus or taxies which will burden him with extra costs. Transportation of goods will face identical problems too. Will a commuter, unless dogged by a sheer urgency, take the risk of travelling on this long and torturous route?
During the rainy season, the waterway scenario could change dramatically. The waterway might vanish with the onrush of floodwaters. The landing stations, pontoons etc built on the occasion, are unlikely to survive. Commuting will then become a distant dream.
What will happen after a flood hits the capital city with moderate intensity? The extinction of the waterway is more or less granted. But believe it, the sponsors will be seen again active in preparing and finalising another project concept paper to get funds. Another phase of work might start, giving the waterway idea a new dimension.
Those who have travelled by ferries on the Aricha-Daulatdia-Nagarbari routes must have seen intermittent dredging work to keep the rivers navigable. In fact, the authorities do not want a 'permanent' dredging over there. Their 'source of income' will end once a river gets excavated permanently.
The circular waterway is expected to go for 'unlimited' dredging every year much to the delight of the sponsors. Billions of taka will go down the drain. Can this nation afford to see any more wastage of public money? It is now time to wake from deep slumber. It is now time for soul-searching.
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