Dangerous turnings in Nilphamari part of Dhaka-Dinajpur highway

The fatal accident on Sunday night near Dhalagachh turning on a 10 km section of Dhaka-Dinajpur Highway in the district, known as Saidpur town bypass, has again raised concerns about its eight dangerous turnings, which cause frequent accidents.

A Nilphamari-bound pickup carrying around 25 school and college boys, who were celebrating Eid holiday, collided face to face with a Dhaka-bound night coach on Sunday night, causing death of ten boys.

The snaky 10 km bypass stretches from Saidpur bus terminal point on the east to Niamatpur and Rabeya Flour Mill in Parbatipur upazila on the west.

The most dangerous turnings on this section are Shutki More, Bokpara, Dholagachh turning, Asmatiya madrasa, Sarkarpara, Wapda intersection, rail crossing and Rabeya Flour Mill intersection, said an official of the district Roads & Highways Department (RHD).

Akhtar Hossain Badal, president of Nilphamari district unit of Paribahan Sramik Union, said a large number of additional vehicles ply the highway at high speed during Eid time, increasing the risk of accidents.

The drivers drive recklessly to reach their destinations quickly without knowing about the turnings, which sometimes leads to fatal accidents, he added.

Truck driver Abdul Hafiz of Saidpur said drivers cannot see vehicles coming from the opposite direction due to so many turnings and frequently fall in trouble.

According to locals, nearly 150 small and big accidents took place on the bypass road in the 25 years since its commissioning, killing over 100 people and injuring thousands.

RHD said the bypass was opened for vehicular movement in 1993 in order to divert the vehicles through an alternate way outside Saidpur town as the highway previously passed through the town.

District RHD Executive Engineer AKM Hamidul Islam admitted the existence of a number of risky turnings on the Nilphamari section of the highway.

“Two years ago our department conducted a survey under experts of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) to identify the risky turnings on the Dhaka-Dinajpur Highway, some of which were rectified soon after. We will focus on the Saidpur bypass during the next survey,” he said.