Repair work on Jashore-Khulna highway from Jashore town to Rajghat in Nawapara continues amid severe traffic jams — FE Photo BENAPOLE, Feb 20: About 38km section of Jashore-Khulna highway from Jashore town to Nawapara has turned run-down despite frequent repairs, causing immense sufferings for commuters.
Locals said the Jashore-Nawapara section of Jashore-Khulna highway has been repaired seven times in nine years, but it has been dilapidated again.
"We suffer much while plying the road which has developed many potholes. We get stuck in traffic jams for a long time," many a commuter said.
Every time, the road has been repaired, but potholes have developed within a short time. The last repair work on the road was completed in 2022.
But, after a few months the road's condition started to deteriorate. Its condition is very bad now.
Somewhere high-low undulations have been created on the road and in some places the bitumen coating has been removed, some places have developed ditches.
New repair work on the road has started again, blocking its one side. It creates severe traffic jams in the area.
Due to the sorry state of the road, public sufferings knew no bounds.
The Jashore-Khulna highway from Jashore town to Rajghat in Nawapara is a commercially important road.
After arriving in Nawapara port by ship from Mongla seaport, it goes to different parts of the country through this road by truck.
Truck driver Abul Hossain said, 'I've been seeing the road being fixed for 10 years." If anyone wants to move with goods, they have to move gradually with a lot of risk."
Locals alleged that low quality materials are being used to repair the road. So, it gets damaged quickly.
Public money is being spent on repairing the road repeatedly, they also said.
But, commuters continue to suffer while plying the road. Contractors get benefitted from repeated repair work on the road.
They get construction work again. There are allegations of receiving various benefits from the officers concerned.
According to sources at the Roads and Highways Department, the Jashore-Nawapara road was repaired at a cost of Tk 16.5 million in the 2013-14 fiscal year. After that six more rounds of repair or reconstruction work took place till FY 2022-23. Out of seven phases, the repair cost of three phases is Tk 25 million (2.5 crore) to 90 million (9 crore).
The sources also said the repair work started in May 2018 by inviting tenders before the current phase of repairing the road.
Toma Construction and Mahbub Brothers got the responsibility of the total work of Tk 3.21 billion (321 crore) in two packages. The project duration was till June 2020.
However, due to the corona pandemic and adverse weather, the project deadline was extended by six months.
However, due to the poor condition of the road, the project was extended till June 2022 with an additional cost of Tk 270 million (27 crore).
Moniruzzaman, project manager of Toma Construction, said heavy vehicles carrying 50 tonnes to 60 tonnes goods run on roads with a capacity of 30 tonnes. So, the road is not lasting long.
Commuters said within a few months of the completion of the repair work, the road becomes sorry state.
At present, the road has become high and low in many places. Somewhere the bitumen coating has come off. New concrete pouring is going on at many places.
Golam Kibria, executive engineer, said initiatives have been taken to build 16km road out of 38km by inviting new tenders.
Already in the first phase, the work on the 4km road has started at a cost of about Tk 415 million (41.5 crore), he added.
They hope that there will be no problem for traffic movement after the welding is completed.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
