Natore Correspondent:

Travelling to northern and southern districts through the Bonpara-Kushtia highway has become miserable due to the dilapidated condition of the road from Natore’s Bonpara to Dashuria in Pabna.

Carpeting on most parts of the 25-kilometre stretch of the highway eroded years ago, creating large potholes.

According to transport workers and passengers, journeys are particularly troublesome on the 7-kilometre stretch from Dashuria to Muladuli point in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna, and another 7-kilometre stretch from Koyenbazar to Rajapur point in Boraigram upazila of Natore.

“We need at least one to one and a half hours to travel the 25-kilometre stretch between Bonpara and Dashuria due to the sorry state of the roads. Sometimes it takes longer if a vehicle gets stuck in a damaged spot,” said Md Fardous Hossain, a BRTC bus driver on the Pabna-Chapainawabganj route.

Md Tarek, a driver of Five Star Paribahan travelling from Benapole to Gazipur, said, “A seven to eight-hour journey now takes 10 to 12 hours because of damaged roads in different areas from Jashore to Bonpara of Natore. Of them, the 25-kilometre stretch from Dashuria to Bonpara is the worst for vehicles.”

“Loaded trucks weighing 25 to 30 tonnes often get stuck in the damaged portions, causing mechanical troubles,” said Md Abdul Latif, a truck driver.

He said hundreds of loaded trucks use the road daily to carry goods from Benapole Port, Ishwardi EPZ, and other industrial areas, but they are forced to suffer as there is no alternative route.

Contacted, Md Raihan Imtiaz, sub-divisional engineer of the Department of Roads and Highways in Natore, said repair work is ongoing to fix a 16-kilometre stretch at a cost of Tk 20 crore, which is expected to be completed this year.

However, the RHD in Pabna is yet to start repair work on the Dashuria to Muladuli portion of the highway, failing to engage a contractor in the past year.

“We called for tenders worth Tk 12 crore several times in the last year for repairing the 5-kilometre damaged stretch, but we could not finalise a bidder due to changes in the political situation,” said Md Sadekur Rahman, sub-divisional engineer of RHD, Pabna. He said a tendering process was recently completed and is awaiting approval.

Meanwhile, travelling through Dashuria has become more difficult as the double-lane road has turned into a single lane due to ongoing construction work, causing long tailbacks. “I have to travel to Veramara in Kushtia every day for work, but I waste at least one hour just to cross a 500-metre stretch at Dashuria because of the construction,” said Muslima Khatun, a schoolteacher.

Sadekur Rahman of Pabna RHD said Tk 5 crore worth of construction work in the Dashuria area is ongoing, with more than 50 percent completed, and is expected to be finished this year.