A pedestrian overpass built at a cost of nearly Tk4 crore in front of Chattogram Diabetic General Hospital on Zakir Hossain Road has remained largely out of service for more than six years, despite its stairs being open and one escalator still capable of being operated manually.
Even with the escalator out of regular service, pedestrians are not using the overpass. Instead, many continue to cross the busy road directly, putting themselves at risk.
The Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) constructed the 65-foot-long and 9-foot-wide overpass at a cost of Tk3.90 crore. It was inaugurated on 30 January 2020 by then CCC mayor AJM Nasir Uddin.
Local residents said the escalators operated for about two months after the inauguration before being shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have not resumed since.
CCC officials said the escalators were shut down because of their high electricity consumption. Although pedestrians can still use the stairs, few choose to do so because the road remains open in the middle, allowing people to cross directly without using the overpass.
A visit to the area found patients, hospital visitors and other pedestrians crossing the road amid moving traffic. Parts of the overpass were also found neglected. Local residents alleged that drug users and others involved in criminal activities gather there at night and that some equipment has been stolen.
Urban planner Subhash Barua said questions had been raised about the project’s effectiveness even when it was being planned, calling it an example of an unplanned project. Mohammad Anisur Rahman Sohel, chief engineer of the CCC, told The Times of Bangladesh that the main problem was the selection of the site.
“The site selection for the foot overbridge in front of the diabetes hospital was wrong. As the road remains open, people do not want to take the trouble of climbing the bridge. They simply cross underneath,” he said.
He said the escalator is currently out of service and that the CCC has sent a file to the relevant authorities seeking approval to remove it and install it at another location. The CCC is also planning to close the road through the median to encourage pedestrians to use the overpass.
“If the road is closed, people will have to use the bridge. We are also considering installing dividers and flower pots in the middle of the road as part of an effort to improve the area’s appearance,” Sohel said.
Chattogram Metropolitan Police Additional Commissioner (Traffic) Hossain Mohammad Kabir Bhuiyan told TIMES of Bangladesh that authorities would inspect the site and take measures to install a divider in the middle of the road to encourage pedestrians to use the overpass.
For now, however, the overpass remains a costly monument to poor planning: Its stairs unused, its escalators silent and its purpose unfulfilled. Whether the proposed dividers and relocation plans will finally give the structure the use it was intended for remains to be seen.
