CHANDPUR, July 31: A collapsed culvert over a narrow canal at Sahapur village in Paikpara Dakkhin union of Faridganj upazila has turned into a death trap for the past few months for thousands of people who are using it every day.
Local people can take a shortcut to the nearest marketplace by using the road on which the culvert is.
During a spot visit two days back, locals told this correspondent that a big portion of the culvert had suddenly collapsed in last March when a truck loaded with construction materials got on to it.
Since then, the Union Parishad authorities or the Upazila Parishad have not taken any initiative to reconstruct the culvert.
Finding no other alternative, suffering people with the help of the local UP member repaired it by putting some pieces of wood on the broken place on their own initiative.
Every day about 7,000 to 8,000 people of several villages use the road risking their lives.
The situation takes a turn for the worst at the times of rain or in darkness of night when critical patients, especially elderly ones or pregnant women, are to be rushed to the Upazila Health Complex or when a doctor is to be called in on an emergency basis.
Local residents Alamgir Hossain Patwary (55) and Abdul Mannan Sheikh (50), UP member Emran Hossain and a few others told the FE that the culvert had become frail as it had been built over three decades ago.
Four months ago, it collapsed all of a sudden failing to take pressure of a truck loaded with construction materials, leaving its users in the lurch.
An official of the Faridganj upazila project implementation office said a representative had been sent to the higher authorities seeking allocation of fund for reconstruction of the old culvert on February 25 this year, but to no effect.
Local UP Chairman Showkat Hossain said he has informed the local project implementation officer about the dilapidated condition of the culvert and sufferings of the local people and requested him to include the culvert in the development projects.
"It is hoped that the culvert will be reconstructed soon," he added.
On the other hand, two kilometer stretches of the road from Dhodda Sk Ali (RA) Mazar Sharif to Dhodda Khal area in Hatila West Union under Hajiganj Upazila has been in a deplorable condition for many decades. As a result, thousands of people are to use the road taking troubles.
According to locals, the road is of much importance to 10,000 people of the villages, including Dhodda, Patanish and Goureswar. Even after an hour's rainfall, the entire road becomes muddy, uneven and awkward and gets so unfit that auto-rickshaws and battery-run rickshaws cannot ply it. Even bridal parties have to face inconveniences using it.
UP member Jakir Hossain and UP Chairman AKM Mojibur Rahman said as elected public representatives of the area they will put efforts to have the road included the upazila rural development project soon.
Contacted, Hajiganj UNO Rashedul Islam said the road will be developed in the next fiscal year. The government has given priority to development of the rural roads for people's convenience, he added.
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