Unrepaired, Lalmonirhat-Burimari highway claims 25 lives in a year

We are disheartened to learn from a recent report published in this daily that 25 people lost their lives in 15 accidents on the highway connecting Lalmonirhat with Burimari land port over the last 12 months. The carpeting has worn out on nearly 40 kilometres of the 100 kilometre highway; along with the many potholes that developed overtime, this has made the journey dangerous for the thousands of vehicles that regularly use this road, especially cargo trucks that ply the highway every day, risking accidents and fatalities.

Even well-experienced truckers dread this highway and are reluctant to use it, as they consider it among the worst in the country. Drivers remain extremely worried about getting killed or killing others while on this road. Not only is the highway fatal for drivers and passengers of various vehicles, but it also poses risks for pedestrians as well—two members of the police were killed when a truck carrying stones from Burimari ran them over earlier this month. The highway is a deathtrap, to say the least, but there is no alternative as it is the only road for transporting goods in and out of the land port.

Commuters claim that the highway has been in such a dilapidated state for a long time now. Then why has it not been repaired? Isn't it obvious that had the road been mended, many lives could have been saved? It is most unfortunate that despite Tk 40 crore being allocated for the repair of the dilapidated highway by the Roads and Highways Department, they are yet to select a contractor for the work. This is unacceptable and quite befuddling. We urge the concerned authorities to take the necessary steps to immediately repair the road. The government should conduct regular drives to identify all such major roads all over the country and ensure maintenance, as broken roads are a major cause of road crashes.