Chandpur, Aug 3 (bdnews24.com) – A clearly upset Communications Minister on Friday supported the people's threat to call shutdown to protest against battered roads and highways.

Obaidul Quader expressed his frustration after visiting the Matlab-Pennai road at Chandpur's Narayanpur and Comilla's Gauripur areas as part of his regular efforts to make sure roads were fit for travel ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr.

"It is only natural that people will enforce general strike if the roads are in this state," he said to reporters.

Quader asked the Roads and Highways Department's Chandpur Executive Engineer Shafiqul Islam and Comilla's Supervising Engineer Ruhul Amin to explain for the potholed roads there.

He also ordered the RHD officials to repair the Matlab-Pennai road within seven days.



The minister told the officials who were there with him that the roads must be kept under 'running maintenance'.

One of officials said instantly, "I also said that."

Reacting to his comment, Quader said, "There is no running maintenance here. People don't threaten to enforce general strike for no reason. The situation demands strike. Even I would've called a strike."

He told reporters, "The conditions of the roads are worse in Chandpur. I feel ashamed of being the minister of this ministry."

Quader also visited the repair works of the Meghna and Meghna-Gomati bridges on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

Though commuters faced long and arduous traffic congestion at Gauripur on the Comilla-Chandpur route, the Communications Minister claimed gridlock indeed had decreased in that area.

Later, he also exchanged views with the RHD and administration officials at the Chandpur Circuit House.

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