Paddy processing makes roads risky for vehicles
Farmers thresh paddy on Dalia-Chaderhat Teesta canal road, right, dry paddy on Dinajpur-Dhaka highway at Saidpur of Dinajpur district, making the roads risky for vehicular movement. Photo: STAR
The metalled roads in the district have become risky for vehicular movement as farmers are using them for threshing and drying paddy and straw in the ongoing boro harvesting season. One person was killed and five others were seriously injured as a three-wheeler slipped off the road and fell into the roadside ditch while running through straw spread on Sardarerhat-Nautara road in Dimla upazila a few days ago, police said. Thirty-five people were also injured in 14 other accidents in the district during the last one month. The frequency of accidents during the boro harvesting season is much higher than that in other times, said locals and police. The 10-kilometre-long Saidpur bypass of Dinajpur-Dhaka highway is now virtually covered with crops and straw as farmers of adjacent villages including Wapdapara, Bokpara, Sarkarpara, Dhalagachh of Saidpur upazila often bring bundles of harvested paddy and maize on the highway early morning. After threshing, they spread paddy, maize and straw on the same road for drying in the sun all day long. Very often, straw gets entangled with the running wheels and cause the vehicles to slip from the road. Motorcyclists face difficulties, especially while moving through the thick layers of maize on the road, as surface of the corn is very hard and slippery. People living beside Nilphamari-Jaldhaka road, Nilphamari-Kishoreganj road, Domar-Dimla road, Domar-Deviganj road, Dalia-Chander Teesta canal road, Sardarerhat-Nautara road, Jaldhaka-Dalia road and others told of similar tales. While visiting Dalia-Chander Teesta canal road last week, this correspondent found the whole road busy with farmers threshing and drying paddy and other crops. Thick layers of green paddy plants were also spread on the road to dry in the sun for preservation as straw and use as fodder later. Aziruddin, 65, was seen threshing boro paddy on the road. Asked why he was using the busy road instead of his house yard for the purpose, he said, “There is hardly any space wide enough for threshing and drying paddy as houses are to be made due to rapid population growth.” Several farmers said they prefer threshing and drying paddy and maize on the road as earth and sand get mixed with fresh paddy and maize and discolour the crops if the crops are threshed on open fields or spaces beside homesteads. Vehicles face frequent accidents during the boro harvesting period as farmers use roads for threshing and drying crops, said Shahjahan Chowdhury, convenor of bus, mini bus owners' association in Nilphamari. Asked about the matter, Traffic Inspector Shamsul Alam said, “We try to persuade farmers to clear roads and highways. But after our departure, they again start the same practice." District Roads and Highways Department Executive Engineer Mahbubul Alam Khan admitted that threshing and drying paddy, maize and straw on roads and highways has become a matter of concern for vehicular movement. I shall discuss the matter with the district administration to find ways for solving the problem."
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