Long march demanding repair of 16-km road, construction of dyke

People of different villages of Bhuapur and Gopalpur upazilas joined a long march yesterday, demanding repair of the Tangail-Tarakandi road and construction of a guide embankment to protect the villages in the upazilas from Jamuna erosion.

The long march began from Sonamui Bazar in Gopalpur upazila in the morning and ended at Bhuapur headquarters at noon.

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Abdus Sattar Khan, principal of Haji Ismail Khan College, led the march. Addressing a rally on the premises of Bhuapur Upazila Parishad, Sattar Khan said numerous potholes appeared on the Tangail-Tarakandi road from Bhuapur upazila sadar to Sonamui in Gopalpur upazila as the important road was not repaired for several years.

As a result, the road has turned almost unusable and also causes damage to vehicles.

Dilapidated Bhuapur-Tarakandi Road. Photo: Star

Drivers of different vehicles, who also joined the march, said it takes about an hour instead of 20 minutes to go from Sonamui to Bhuapur.

Moreover, to avoid the damaged road, the fertiliser-laden trucks from Tarakandi have to move thorough Jamalpur to pass Bangabandhu Bridge, causing waste of time, said truck driver Abdul Kader.

The authorities, however, have turned a blind eye to the issue, he added.

 Though several villages in the two upazilas have been devoured by the Jamuna River, the authorities concerned have taken no steps to check the erosion so far, the demonstrators also alleged.

They demanded construction of a guide embankment from Nolin to Kuthi Boira immediately to check the river erosion.

The demonstrators also threatened to launch tougher agitation in future if their demands were not met within a short time.