Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has taken an initiative of implementing a road network project involving around Taka 3,000 crore aims at lessening the gradually mounting pressure on the existing roads.In the metropolis, population density has gradually been increasing with influx of huge city-bound people and multiplication of high-rise buildings day by day. Taking the issues into special consideration the RCC has taken
step of reshuffling the city’s road system. In the first phase, 15 roads will be widened to 42 meters with 30-meter main road and six-meter footpath onboth sides each. Taka 500 crore will be spent for road construction while Taka 2,500 crore for land acquisition under the ‘Rajshahi City’s Road NetworkDevelopment Project’.
RCC Chief Engineer Ashraful Haque said there are 250 kilometers of roads in the city which is less than nine percent. Whereas, he said at least 25percent road is essential for founding a planned city. To this end, step has been taken to strength the city’s road network. The project is expected to be implemented soon.
Engineer Ashraf said a Taka 182.68 crore road construction project is being implemented along with construction of a flyover on the road over railway track for the first time in Rajshahi city at present. The flyover with ramp is being constructed at Budhpara Railway crossing with an estimated cost of Taka 29.28 crore.
Twenty-five streets have been brought under lighting scheme with Taka 27 crore. To this end, installation of 1,285 poles including equal number of lights– 1,173 LED and 112 solar– have been completed.
Beautification and lighting works at nine street-crossings were implemented with at a cost of around Taka 2.76 crore.
In addition to the construction of 17-km footpath, Padma Library and Miapara Public Library are being reconstructed with Taka 21.95-crore under Sustainable Development of Rajshahi City through the Improvement and Conservation of Social, Cultural, Environmental and Heritage Infrastructure Project.
“We planted more than 5,000 trees on 10 km roads and encouraged citizens for building fruit orchards. The corporation won the Prime Minister’s National Award for tree plantation in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013,” he said.
The city corporation has also implemented a project titled ‘Zero soil’ to cover all the available top soil with green and various trees,” Engineer Ashraf added.
The corporation has constructed footpaths covering the open soil on roadsides, improving the drainage system, increasing mango orchards and beefing up the cleansing operations.
“We have implemented various infrastructure uplifting works in various city areas with around Taka 106.68 crore in recent times,” said the RCC official.
Prof Ananda Kumar Shaha of Department of Zoology of Rajshahi University said the greenery in and around Rajshahi city would instantly catch one’s eyesight if one notices the city’s topography from an airplane or any multistoried building.
Tree plantation and other activities for greenery also contributed to reducing the air pollution in Rajshahi, he added, reports BSS from Rajshahi.
