Rundown roads woes for several thousand people

CHANDPUR, July 07: The Shimultoli-Rajbari Bazar Road via Syedpur-Aliara in Kachua upazila of Chandpur district has been lying in a dilapidated condition for a long time causing immense suffering for the people of 10 villages.

Talking to the FE, locals said students and office-goers are the worst sufferers for the deplorable state of the five-kilometer long road.

As big potholes have developed in many places of the road, pedestrians and vehicles have to face trouble in crossing the area daily. People often feel hesitant to use the road for the miserable condition of its several parts.

Students Siam Hossain, Riyad Hossain and Pinki of the local Teguria High School and their teachers have alleged that for want of repair and renovation work, the road has become unfit for use and also for movement of any mode of transport.

Rainwater remains stuck in the potholes for days causing immense suffering to the pedestrians and vehicles. Local traders also narrated their sufferings because of the bad shape of their only means of communication. The situation becomes worst during the monsoon, they noted.

Contacted, Engineer Abdul Alim of the Upazila Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) office told the FE, "The road is very important; so we have sent a detailed report to the higher authorities narrating its deplorable condition and urgent need to repair it considering the woes of the people. If fund allocation is available, we'll repair the road without any delay."

Besides, two more important roads in Matlab Dakhshin Upazila have been lying in a deplorable condition for a long time, inconveniencing commuters' movement.

One of the roads runs from Taxi Stand up to Pennai Road in Water Tank area while the other extends from Taxi Stand up to Kajoli Cinema Hall via Matlab ICDDR,B Diarrhoea Hospital. Both the roads are three kilometers in length.

Because of the worst condition of these two roads, thousands of people including diarrhoea patients who are to rush to Matlab Diarrhoea Hospital from near and far places have been suffering a lot.

Mizanur Rahman, father of a child diarrhoea patient from Faridganj, referred to his sufferings while using the road right from Kajoli Cinema Hall up to Matlab ICDDR,B Diarrhoea Hospital.

Jasimuddin, an auto-rickshaw driver, and his 5/6 colleagues told the same tale of sufferings due to the long time dilapidated condition of these roads.

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