Four months after excavation began, the development work on Shamim Sarani in West Shewrapara under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) remains unfinished, leaving residents struggling with potholes, dust, and long traffic disruptions.
Locals say that despite the road’s short stretch, barely half a kilometer, progress has been painfully slow.
Not only West Shewrapara, but key stretches of East Kazipara, including the Masjidul Aksa road adjacent to the Kazipara metro rail station stairs, have become virtually unusable due to prolonged roadwork.
Portions of the main Kazipara–Shewrapara thoroughfare remain dug up, forcing commuters to take lengthy detours.
Regular users of the Kazipara metro station now face an additional 10 to 15 minutes of walking through alternate routes, amplifying daily hardship and frustration.
“Work continues for a couple of days, then stops for weeks,” said Mahbub Alam, owner of a pharmacy on the road.
“It’s been four months, and the contractor is nowhere to be seen.”
During a recent visit, large potholes, piles of sand, and scattered bricks were visible along the entire road.
The situation has made vehicular movement almost impossible, forcing residents to walk through mud or dust depending on the weather.
“This is the only link road to the main highway, used by thousands daily,” said resident Sultan Mia.
“Bricks and sand were dumped here a week ago, but no workers have returned.”
The prolonged construction has disrupted daily life.
Retired banker Aftab Ahmed said his daughter-in-law, who works for a foreign company, now has to walk to the main road because her office car can no longer reach the house.
“It’s been this way for months,” he said.
Students and commuters have also been affected.
Faisal, a student of Primeasia University, said: “After they dug up the road, I couldn’t use my bike for almost three months. Even now, I risk punctures every time I ride out.”
Residents claim that even after repeated complaints, DNCC has not intervened.
Similar problems have been reported on nearby roads, including around Madrasa Market in East Kazipara and 531/A West Shewrapara Street, where slow or stalled development work has caused severe inconvenience.
A member of the Shewrapara Adarsha Bari Malik Samiti alleged irregularities in the project.
“One contractor won the tender, but someone else is doing the work. The bricks being used are of poor quality, and there’s no supervision. We’ve already informed the city corporation,” he said.
Local Jubo Dal leader Suman, who claimed to be overseeing the road repair, defended the delay.
“Government work is never continuous,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
“We started the work with our own money, and payments come in slowly, so the work moves slowly too. The deadline hasn’t expired yet.”
DNCC’s Chief Engineer, Brigadier General Md Moin Uddin, acknowledged the delays and promised action.
“This is very unfortunate. We try our best to minimize public suffering,” he said.
“We will investigate the reasons behind the delay and take action if negligence is found.”
