DC Zahid moves swiftly to improve Sitakunda road safety

Seeks footbridge from ministry, initiates rumble strip installation and drives against illegal parking within 24 hours

Staff Correspondent

Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mian has initiated a series of road safety measures within 24 hours of intervening in student protests over a fatal road accident in Sitakunda.

In a swift move, Zahid wrote to the secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges on Tuesday (November 3), seeking urgent construction of a footbridge near the main entrance of International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC).

Acting on his initiative, authorities began installing rumble strips, launched drives against illegal parking and started road-widening work along the accident-prone stretch of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Kumira.

Zahid visited the protest site on Tuesday and assured students that their eight-point demand would be addressed. His intervention helped end a nearly six-hour blockade of the highway and railway tracks.

The DC subsequently coordinated with relevant government agencies to expedite the safety measures.

Following instructions from the district administration, a joint drive by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and local authorities targeted illegal parking and roadside encroachments on Wednesday.

A mobile court led by BRTA Executive Magistrate Dipak Tripura ordered establishments, including KDS Depot, to remove illegally parked vehicles and imposed fines totalling Tk 55,000 in 15 cases.

Zahid also initiated steps to secure Tk 5 lakh in financial assistance through the BRTA for the family of Maisha Mushfirat, an IIUC student killed in the accident. The assistance is subject to an application from the family.

Meanwhile, a case has been filed against the unidentified driver, and law enforcement agencies are working to arrest the suspect.

The district administration said DC Zahid was personally overseeing coordination with the relevant ministries and agencies to expedite implementation of the students' demands, with the proposed footbridge receiving priority.

The measures are aimed at preventing further accidents and ensuring safer road crossings for students and other pedestrians.