n the past two decades, it would have been impossible to describe Sadarghat as anything but a necessary suffering
Sadarghat, Dhaka’s centuries-old port instantly paints a picture of unmitigated chaos – innumerable moving lines of people intertwined in a maddening fresco of urban nightmares. The less said about the pungent smells associated with decades of wanton littering, the better.
But today, that image of Sadarghat would be brazenly challenged by reality. In an act of monumental transmogrification, as Sadarghat appears – civil.
In the past two decades, it would have been impossible to describe Sadarghat as anything but a necessary suffering. Launches from the southern districts dock here, transporting thousands of passengers every day.
But those passengers would have received an olfactory assault upon arriving at the shores. For anyone travelling today, it would be a cautionary tale from the past.
The black waters of Buriganga reek a little less, the wharf has been cleaned up. Flower beds have replaced piles of filth. Competing and cajoling merchants purveying snacks and accessories are nowhere in sight. On a visit this past Monday, Sadarghat did not seem like Sadarghat at all.
Long overdue action
The long-awaited change comes courtesy of more rigorous and regular drives by government agencies.
State Minister for Shipping and Inland Water Transport, Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury had been confronted by the harrowing operations at Sadarghat during a visit, which prompted him to zealously direct operations to reclaim the erstwhile glorious port, according to Jahangir Alam Khan, a spokesperson from the ministry.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), which is responsible for the development and maintenance of the Sadarghat port among others, had its own office surrounded by illegal shops that clogged the streets and made navigation considerably challenging.
Only a few makeshift shops now exist, even then outside the launch terminal, which itself now appears to be actually passenger-friendly.
Shah Alam, one of the shopkeepers, said: “We are usually notified before any raids. We close up shop and hide.”
Shah Alam follows the tactic used by thousands of hawkers in Bangladesh as do shopkeepers without a fixed shop.
The footpath outside the terminal, once occupied by hawkers, has also been reclaimed. While hawkers chafe at having moved, it has solidified their demands for rehabilitation.
Merchant dinghies trying to hawk goods to arriving and outgoing launches no longer pester the larger boats.
Buses which picked up and dropped off passengers right outside the terminal have moved on, putting an end to the incessant overcrowding which fostered theft, pickpockets, and bag-snatching.
Sadarghat, whose perennial ramshackle state gave birth to the term “Baire fitfat, bhitore Sadarghat” (Looks great from the outside, but a hopeless mess inside), appears to be on its way to shed its decades of infamy.
What is next for Sadarghat?
But all is not well. While things may have drastically improved for passengers, the situation remains hazardous for labourers who unload cargo. Their wharf remains filthy and pungent, and they continue to contract diseases from the unclean environment.
Arif Hossain, deputy director of BIWTA expressed his hopes to reclaim the road outside Ahsan Manzil that has been buried under tons of garbage. He announced plans for a 15-feet-wide walkway after the salvage.
In the meantime, State Minister Khalid Mahmud asserted his plans to rebuild Sadarghat as a spectacular passenger-friendly port.(DT)
