Escalator Shut on New Market Footbridge Built for Nearly Tk 10 Crore, Hawkers' Shops Narrow the Walkway

The footbridge built by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) at New Market in the capital to ensure safe crossing for pedestrians has now become a cause of suffering instead of comfortable movement.

With the escalator of the bridge, built at a cost of nearly Tk 10 crore — more than Tk 9 crore 77 lakh 62 thousand — shut, elderly people, women and children in particular are suffering in going up and down. In addition, hawkers have set up shops occupying the bridge's walkway and entrances, narrowing the space for pedestrians to move.

With such a condition of this important infrastructure within eight months of its inauguration, questions have been raised about its maintenance, supervision and management.

Visiting the New Market footbridge on the spot on Sunday (October 25), the escalator was found shut, forcing pedestrians to use the ordinary stairs. Hawkers' shops on the walkway and entrances have narrowed the passage.

The escalator was one of the main attractions of the footbridge built at the junction of Dhaka New Super Market and Gausia Market on Mirpur Road in front of New Market. It was included considering pedestrians who have difficulty using ordinary stairs, alongside safe crossing of the busy road. A huge number of shoppers, students and ordinary people move through the New Market area every day.

In this situation, some try to cross the road directly without using the footbridge. Pedestrians fear this may further increase the risk of accidents on the busy Mirpur Road.

Khalid Saifullah, a private service holder who came from Uttara in the capital to shop in the New Market area, said the footbridge was built for people's safe crossing, but with the escalator shut they are forced to use the stairs, which is quite difficult especially for the elderly, with many having to stop midway to rest while climbing. If people do not get the benefit of a structure built at a cost of crores of taka, he said, a question remains over the worth of that spending.

Hosne Ara Begum, a housewife who came from the Jatrabari area to shop at New Market, said extra caution is always needed when crossing the road with children. If the footbridge escalator were running, going up and down with children would have been much easier, but with it shut they are forced to use the stairs and the suffering grows when carrying bags. The authorities should start the escalator quickly and arrange regular supervision, she said.

Md Obaidur Rahman, an elderly citizen who came to use the footbridge to go from New Super Market to Gausia Market, said he is aged and cannot walk as before. The bridge's stairs are very high; climbing step by step leaves him breathless and he sometimes has to stop to rest. He also feels afraid while coming down, because a slip could cause a major accident, he said.

Farzana Islam Laizu, a parent who came to the New Market area with her child, said there is no safe way to cross the road with children other than using the footbridge, but because the stairs are very high, going up and down with small children is quite difficult. If the escalator were running, crossing with children would have been easy, she said.

There are allegations of involvement of some local political leaders in setting up shops on the footpath. Many allege they take money from hawkers and allow them to sit again after eviction. Because shops have been set up on the bridge's walkway, walking holding children's hands, safe movement of the elderly, or pedestrians from both directions moving together has become difficult.

Dr Muhammad Ariful Islam, president of the Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) and a planner, said a huge number of people move every day in a busy area like New Market. If proper use of infrastructure built for pedestrians at such an important place cannot be ensured, it will be difficult to build Dhaka city as pedestrian-friendly. The escalator should be made operational quickly and a normal movement environment ensured on and around the bridge, he said, adding that a detailed assessment is needed to identify where new footbridges are required in the capital.