Road to Jaflong in neglect for 4 years
The rocky floor of the Piyain River is clearly seen from the surface. It flows from the verdant hills of Meghalaya, just across the border. It is a meeting point of the river and hills. It is Jaflong.
Despite having all the beautiful features, a recent visitor has a different reaction.
"I won't visit the place again," said Moinul Islam.
He came to Jaflong Sunday with family. But the terrible road conditions ruined his trip.
When he visited the same place with friends 10 months ago, after the Eid-ul-Adha, he did not think that the family trip would be such a disappointment.
At Jaflong, 56km north of Sylhet city, Moinul thought out an alternative: visiting Bisnakandi, another spot in Gowainghat upazila, where water rolling down from Indian hills flows over rocks.
But locals' suggestion disheartened him once again. The road to Bisnkandi is worse still, they said.
Foyes Ahmed also came on a family trip, from Khulna, and had a realisation.
"We think our district is neglected in every aspect. But when I visited Jaflong and saw the awful road, I thought Khulna is a heaven," he told The Daily Star.
An estimated five thousand people, according to local residents, flock to Jaflong every day, and their biggest fear is the 3km Tamabil-Jaflong road.
Taking a motorcycle ride, this correspondent reached Jaflong from Tamabil in 30 minutes, while it should have taken only a few minutes.
The 3km stretch is barely recognisable as a road: the asphalt is gone, large potholes collecting water are dotting the road, and mud (and dust during summer) flies off vehicle wheels.
"It's in a pathetic state," said local truck driver Modorish Ali as he described the road.
A journalist based in Jaintapur upazila, Sabbir Ahmed, said the road was in the worst condition at Tamabil, Mohammadpur, Borlaghat, and Mamardokan points.
"After a huge protest, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) did brick soling (laying of bricks) three months ago. But it did not last. It was broken a few days ago," he said.
For local bus driver Jasim Uddin, it is difficult to drive on the road. But he thinks it is even more troublesome for outsiders.
Bus drivers from faraway places often find their vehicles damaged, he said.
Rahman Miah, a tea stall owner at Tamabil, said, "A lot of journalists took photos of the area and wrote about this road. But the government didn't take any initiative."
According to local residents, the road has been in bad shape for the last four years, without repair.
When contacted, Sheikh Md Moniurl Islam, executive engineer of RHD, Sylhet, said he did not see any repair on the road in the last two years since he joined the Sylhet office.
He, however, said RHD had recently repaired the 14km Jaintapur-Tamabil road. "We had the plan to renovate the entire Jaintapur-Jaflong road, but funds ran out after repairs were done till Tamabil."
He said they would apply for fund soon for rehabilitating the Tamabil-Jaflong portion.
Renovation of the road has been a long-time demand of stone businesses and transport workers.
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