Road of much importance remains in sheer neglect
This risky, dilapidated bridge on Sylhet-Sunamganj road bears the testimony to the pitiable condition of the much important road in the region. Photo: STAR
Run-down Sylhet-Sunamganj road remains a nuisance for users while the Tk 302 crore project for upgrading the important road to a national highway has been pending for approval from the planning ministry for the last 11 months. The road now gives a pitiable look as the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) could not do much repair work due to the stalemate. Innumerable potholes and cracks have developed on it and several small and narrow bridges turned risky, especially for loaded trucks. In addition to regular traffic, several hundred trucks and pick up vans ply the road every day for transporting stones, sand etc to different places of the country. Vehicular movement on the road has seen a sharp rise in recent years with the increased activities at Barchhara land customs station and quite a few stone quarries near the Meghalaya borders, where hundreds of stone crushing plants have been established. In view of the rising importance of the road, the RHD prepared the project, got it approved by the communications ministry and then sent to the planning ministry for approval in December last year, sources said. "Although the communications ministry earlier approved the project, things have remained hanging in balance with the planning ministry. We will be able to start the work upon approval from the latter," said Shah Mohammad Musa, superintending engineer of RHD, Sylhet. The prime minister had announced upgrading the road to a national highway at a public meeting at Tahirpur upazila headquarters on November 10 last year, he said. According to the project, the road is to be made 24-feet-wide in place of the existing 18-feet one and will directly benefit people of several districts including Sunamganj, Habiganj, Sylhet, Netrakona and Kishoreganj. "The busy road has to bear the load of stone and cement laden trucks, in addition to other vehicles. Often accidents take place on the narrow road that cannot cope with the rush of vehicles. Chhatak Cement Factory and Lafarge Surma Cement Factory are located at Chhatak upazila headquarters," the official added. However, works on a separate programme will start soon for reconstruction of the 11 bridges on the road with JAICA funds under Eastern Bangladesh Bridges Improvement Project, he said. Demanding improvement of the busy road, locals on Sunday staged demonstration in Sylhet city as well as different upazila headquarters under the district and handed over memorandums to the authorities. "We have long been demanding for widening the road and reconstructing the small culverts on the road, which plays a vital role for transporting from the stone quarry and others. But the concerned people have no care although number of accidents on the road got a rise in the recent years," said Chhatak upazila parishad Chairman Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury. Back in 2000, a Tk 180-crore project was taken up for the same purpose but it did not see implementation even after approval from communications and planning ministries and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.
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