Pothole-riddled Rangpur city roads escalate sufferings

With the ongoing monsoon, potholes and craters have been developing further in the two of the already dilapidated major roads in Rangpur city, escalating sufferings of the commuters and residents.

But no repair works had been done on the roads so far, alleged locals.

One is a 5km road stretching from Shapla intersection to Tazhat while the other one is known as Lalkuthi road in the city's Lalkuthi area, they said.

“We have to wade through dirty water whenever it rains,” said Rafiqul Islam, a residence of the Station Road area.

Abdus Satter, a battery-run auto-rickshaw driver, said drivers of light and heavy vehicles often avoid those roads because of the potholes, which could overturn their vehicles.

The situation turned worse after the municipality authorities started constructing drains and footpaths digging edges of the road, he said, adding, “Accidents have become a common scene.”

Ambulances were also forced to use alternative routes to avoid bumpy rides, locals alleged.

While visiting the road between Shapla intersection and Tazhat on Tuesday, this correspondent saw several potholes filled with stagnant rainwater. Train commuters were also seen facing the crisis while travelling on the road as the Rangpur Rail Station was situated by the roadside.

Likewise, the Lalkuthi road in the city's Lalkuthi area has become almost unusable because of potholes and constant waterlogging, even though there were six educational institutions, many businesses and residential buildings in the area.

“Our sufferings keep on escalating,” said an official of the Rangpur DC office and a resident of the area, seeking anonymity.

School going children constantly fall victim to this crisis, complained the parents, adding that their clothes have to be cleaned and washed everyday because of the muddy street.

Md Ahsan Habib, principal of Biam School and College, said that they had repaired a portion of the Lalkuthi road with their own initiatives. “But it was not enough; we need the intervention of the authorities concerned,” he said.

Contacted, Amzad Ali, executive engineer of Rangpur City Corporation, said that they have got a Tk 4 crore allocation for the renovation works of the two roads, which will start soon as they are taking necessary steps to invite tenders within two months.