Regional roads in bad shape

Movement of overloaded trucks and lack of repair work for the last few years have made most of the regional roads in Ghatail upazila almost impossible for vehicles to ply, causing sufferings to the commuters.

Though movement of vehicles loaded with over 10 tonnes of goods is banned on the roads, trucks loaded with 25 tonnes to 30 tonnes of goods move on the roads.

Such violation of rules takes place due to lack of necessary actions by the authorities concerned.

Local Government Engineering Department Upazila Engineer AKM Hedayet Ullah said there are about 280 km of pucca roads in the upazila. Of these, around 110 km are in the upazila town area, 62 km are in unions, 90 km are Category-A rural roads and 20 km are Category-B rural roads.

Most of these roads have turned risky due to movement of overloaded trucks and earth-laden pick-ups, and also lack of repair for the last few years, locals said.

Numerous potholes have been created on the roads, and it is hard to believe that are pucca roads, they added.

Forty km of Ghatail-Sagardighi-Bhoradoba road, 20 km of Jamuria-Chhunotia-Bhuapur road and 10 km of Mogolpara-Singuria road are in bad shape. The Dhalapara to Guptabrindaban of Ghatail-Sagardighi-Bhoradoba road and Jamuria-Chhunotia-Bhuapur road are almost unusable for vehicles, passengers and transport workers said.

At least eight brick kilns have been set up beside the Gunogram-Sandhanpur road in the last few years, said Khademul Mamun, a rights activist in Ghatail.

Movement of several hundred trucks and pick-ups loaded with bricks and earth from the brick kilns has left the road in very bad shape, he said. Although the road was partially repaired only one year ago, it has returned to its previous condition due to movement of numerous overloaded trucks, he added.

Repair work of 30 km of road from Porabari to Garobazar was completed recently. However, the road has subsided and potholes have appeared in many places, locals said.  

The condition of the road from Sagardighi to Taltoli area is also very bad, they said.

The upazila engineer said the roads are in such bad shape due to movement of overloaded vehicles on them, violating the government rules in this regard.

"We have informed the higher authorities about the matter. Repair work will be started after getting funds," he added.