According to a recent ranking, Bangladesh's roads are among the worst in Asia. Bangladesh ranked at 113 among the Asian countries in terms of road quality. Other South Asian countries such as India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan ranked way better than we did.

Despite cheap labour generally available in our country, the cost of road construction in Bangladesh is higher than anywhere else in the world. In spite of the huge cost, however, the quality of our roads is pathetic, as evident by the recent study conducted by World Economic Forum.

Unless steps are taken to reduce corruption and improve efficiency, Bangladesh will lose millions of dollars. This is something our policymakers need to think about.

Nuzhat Rifa Ehsan, By email