The government on Wednesday cancelled, until further order, all weekly and Eid-ul-Fitr holidays of the officers and employees of Roads and Highways Department and asked them to complete emergency repair of the badly-damaged road and highway networks before the festival.
It also cancelled weekly and Eid holidays of the officers and employees of Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority to ensure smooth transport service for the home-bound passengers during Eid.
The communication ministry issued a gazette notification cancelling their holidays a day after prime minister Sheikh Hasina had asked for completing the repair of all dilapidated roads and highways before Eid to ease public sufferings.
Long distance vehicular movement virtually came to a standstill earlier in the week as most of the highways developed potholes and craters for non maintenance and repair for long.
Earlier in the week, the communications minister came under scathing criticism from all quarters including his cabinet colleagues as well as lawmakers for the state of the roads and highways across the country.
Officials and engineers related to maintenance and construction of roads and highways have been asked to be on duty round the clock to complete the repair and rehabilitation of the roads before the festival.
They have been asked not to leave their places of duty until further notice, the ministry said in its official order.
The communications ministry asked RHD, BRTA and BRTC for carry out the order.
The ministry in a separate official order, issued on the day, withdrew RHD Gazipur executive engineer Mohammad Fazle Rabbi.
RHD Road Design and Standard Department executive engineer Sheikh Mohammad Shafiqul Alam replaced him.
Dhaka circle supervising engineer Mohammad Arifur Rahman and Comilla circle supervising engineer Mohammad Shahab Uddin Khan have been interchanged.
Rangpur circle additional chief engineer Mafizul Islam and additional chief engineer at RHD headquarters Md Mohammad Shariful Islam have also been interchanged.
Supervising engineer at RHD headquarters Mohammad Dalil Uddin has been appointed the director of the Eastern Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project.
The ministry issued the transfer orders a day after the communications minister, Syed Abul Hossain, with senior officials on Tuesday paid a spot visits to the badly-damaged Mawna point on Dhaka-Mymensigh Highway after highway communication on the route came to a virtual halt.
At an emergency meeting held at the prime minister's officer on Tuesday, prime minister Sheikh Hasina ordered the communications ministry to repair the badly-damaged highways before Eid.
She held the meeting with the communications ministry in the wake of bus operators suspending inter district bus service on Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Mymensingh, and several other routes.
Transport operators have been asking for the repair of the rundown highways.
Officials said that she asked the communications ministry to cancel holidays of the roads and highways officials and employees, if necessary, to complete the repair of major highways before Eid.
Following an assurance from the prime minister that the badly needed repair would be done, the owners withdrew the suspension of bus service on inter district routes Tuesday evening.
Source : New Age
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