Maize-laden trucks kept on highway pose risk
Batches of maize-laden trucks occupy for weeks over two kilometre stretch of Thakurgaon-Panchagarh highway at Salondar village In Thakurgaon Sadar upazila causing nuisance to commuters while authorities of Kazi Feed Mills Ltd that created the situated for procurement of maize are turning a blind eye to the public demand for alternative arrangement. Photo: STAR
Long queue of maize-laden trucks are occupying nearly half of the width of over two kilometre stretch of Thakurgaon-Panchagarh highway as trucks regularly come to supply maize to Kazi Feed Mills Ltd at Salondar village in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila. The situation has continued since the beginning of maize procurement season early last month, much to the sufferings of a large number of commuters, especially school and college going students. Local people and commuters have demanded that the mills authorities change their procurement schedule either by arranging the task at night or changing their procurement centre from the highway to relieve the commuters from hassles and risk of accidents. During a visit to the area on Thursday, this correspondent saw that vehicles were moving with difficulty due to lack of space as over 150 maize-laden trucks were kept on Thakurgaon-Panchagarh highway on the left side from Kazi Feed Mills at Salondar village to Technical Training Centre at Telipara village under Thakurgaon Sadar upazila. "Frequent road accidents occur in Thakurgaon Feed Mills area due to long queue of maize-laden trucks during maize procurement season. At least four people were killed and many others injured here in maize procurement seasons during last two years," said Salondar union parishad Chairman Fazle Elahi. Many students of several villages including Mondalpara, Hindupara, Shahapara, Denishpara and Telipara, who are studying at Salondar primary, girls' and boys' high schools and Salondar Degree College, have stopped attending classes to avoid troublesome movement on the road occupied by trucks, he said. "Despite our appeal to the mill authorities and local police and civil administration for the last three years, no steps have been taken to solve the problem," he added. When contacted, General Manager of Kazi Farms Ltd Md Mizanur Rahman told this correspondent over cell phone, "We have already given notice to temporarily stop maize procurement when collection of the crop from those standing trucks on the highway completes within two or three days." Replying to a query he said, "We have contact with 89 trucks that are standing on the highway but we have no responsibility about the other trucks. Next time we will give purchase order in advance to procure 30-40 truckloads of maize. After that if the suppliers from across the country come with trucks and keep those on the road we have nothing to do." He said this season's maize procurement will be complete by June. Mill sources and traders, however, said maize procurement in last year continued till the end of August. Acting Superintendent of Police Nahidul Islam said, "The farm created similar problem in the last maize procurement season too. This time we gave them repeated notice to resolve the problem but to no effect. At last we sent a letter to the superintending engineer of Rangpur Roads and Highways Department asking for a racker to seize the trucks that remained standing on the highways." Similar situation has arisen at another point of Thakurgaon-Panchagarh highway at Sipaipara village under Boda upazila in Panchagarh in front of Kazi Feed Mills, another farm of Kazi Farms Ltd, locals said.
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