Traders, commuters suffer due to awful road

Import and export businessmen as well as locals are badly suffering due to awful condition of the three-kilometre road under the jurisdiction of Burimari land port in Patgram upazila of Lalmonirhat.

Accidents occur frequently as trucks heavily loaded with import and export goods use the potholed road that become slippery with mud during the rains.

“On several occasions I sent letters to Roads and Highways Department (RHD) authorities, urging for immediate steps to reconstruct land port road but to no result yet,” said Monirul Islam, deputy director of Bangladesh Land Port Authority at Burimari.  

Truckers charge additional fair for carrying goods on the potholed road, and so, businessmen have to count additional cost to transport goods to and from the land port, said Patgram Upazila Parishad Chairman Ruhul Amin Babul, also a clearing and forwarding agent at Burimari land port.

“In the last one year RHD spent around Tk 80 lakh for repair and maintenance of roads in Burimari land port area but the potholes appeared again due to sub-standard work,” alleged Nur Islam, a businessman at Burimari Bazar.

“Vehicles and pedestrians can’t move smoothly on the road due to potholes. Besides, mud covers the road during rains,” said Shamser Ali Prodhan, a local at Burimari.

Truck driver Sahebul Islam at Burimari land port said vehicles often get damaged while plying the road with potholes.

Contacted, Baktiar Alam, sub-divisional engineer of RHD in Lalmonirhat, told the Daily Star, “Strengthening with DBS-Base Course work and DBS-Wearing Course work for 10-km road from Burimarui land port to Patgram upazila headquarters will start soon as work order worth Tk 28.90 crore and 39 thousand has been given to the contractor.”

“I am new here and so, I am not aware about the earlier repairing and maintenance work,” he added.