Highway needs urgent repair in Jhenidah
The pothole-riddled 14-kilometre stretch, between Jhenidah and Kaliganj on Kushtia-Jashore highway, has become hazardous for thousands of vehicles that use it every day.
Around 20,000 thousand vehicles use the highway, mostly towards Mongla seaport, Khulna and Bagerhat, according to Bangladesh Road Transport Authority data.
Persistent rain this monsoon has caused extensive damage to about 14 kilometres of the road between Jhenidah and Kaliganj, said Roads and Highways (RHD) officials in Jhenidah.
Jamal Hossain, driver of a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, said it used to take only 12 minutes to reach Bishoykhali Bazar from Kaliganj on the highway, a distance of six kilometres that he frequents every day.
But nowadays, after numerous potholes developed on it, it takes about 40 minutes to pass the same distance, he added.
Despite their best efforts in driving over the potholes with extreme care, the rocky ride on the road usually makes most passengers panicky, said bus driver Mohsin Ali.
He also said not a day goes by he worries about getting in a fatal accident on the road.
It is extremely difficult to drive safely over so many potholes, especially the ones hiding underneath puddles of water, said Alam Hossain, another bus driver who drives between Jhenidah and Kaliganj.
The usually 17-minute-long trip between the destinations now takes about 40 minutes, he also said.
Ferozul Haque, organising secretary of Khulna motor and bus owners' association, said the authorities should take urgent steps in repairing the road as it is putting lives of both passengers and drivers at risk and causing damage to vehicles every day.
Contacted, Executive Engineer Ziaul Haidar of RHD in Jhenidah said a tender for repair work of the Jhenidah-Kaliganj highway will be floated soon.
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