Staff Correspondent

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday discussed a proposed infrastructure project to reduce traffic congestion in the capital through the effective use of circular roads and waterways.

The proposal was discussed at a meeting on road management of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) held at the Cabinet Division conference room at the Secretariat, with the Prime Minister in the chair, said PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Hasan Shiplu.

"The meeting was briefed in detail on how the project could help reduce traffic congestion in the capital," Shiplu said.

He said the Prime Minister was also updated on the latest progress of the Inner Circular Ring Road project.

Shiplu said the proposed Inner Circular Ring Road in Dhaka will stretch from Gabtoli to Babubazar and from Postogola to Demra.

He said construction is currently underway on the Rayerbazar, Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar sections of the 12-kilometre project.

Officials at the meeting said around 45 percent of the work has already been completed.

Once completed, they also told the meeting that the ring road will allow traffic travelling between Dhaka and Sylhet, Mawa and Chattogram to bypass the city's inner roads, reducing pressure on the capital's road network and helping ease congestion.

The meeting also discussed the potential use of the 110-kilometre circular waterway surrounding Dhaka.

Officials said bringing the route into operation will help reduce pressure on the capital's roads by allowing people to travel easily between different parts of the city by waterways.

Experts presented the technical aspects of the proposal, saying the water transport system will be environment friendly, energy-efficient and time-saving as the vessels operating on the route will be electric-powered.

DSCC Administrator Abdus Salam, Local Government Division Secretary Shahidul Hasan, Road Transport Secretary Ziaul Haque, Shipping Secretary Md Zakaria, Railways Secretary Fahmidul Islam, BIWTA Chairman Mahidul Islam, DSCC Chief Executive Officer Zahirul Islam, Chief Engineer Nur Azizur Rahman, Additional Chief Engineer Kazi Md Borhan Uddin, Supervising Engineer Mithun Chandra Shil, and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) professors Khan Mahmud Amanat and Md Hadiuzzaman, among others, attended the meeting.