Potholes make journey on 10-km road risky

People of 10 villages under Kalapara upazila of the district are suffering greatly as the 10-km-long Alipur-Khajura road is in very bad shape due to lack of renovation. Movement of vehicles has stopped due to the potholes caused by heavy rainfall in the area for the last several months.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) built the road in 2005 on a flood control dam owned by the Water Development Board (WDB), but there has been no maintenance since then.

Thousands of people of Alipur, Hatempur, Naiuripara, Khajura, Fasipara, Malepara, Sharifpur, Bahamakanda, Mongthoypara villages, including school students, use the road to communicate between Kuakata tourist spot and Kalapara upazila town. Fish are also carried to ice-plants along the road.

Md Nasir Uddin, a local resident, said about 4-km of the road has been badly damaged due to rainfall and lack of maintenance. Recently, the sluice-gate on Khajura canal suddenly went down and the road has become totally unfit for use. Locals have placed red flags on the damaged spots to warn people, he added.

Md Khalilur Rahman, a teacher of Hatempur Government Primary School, said students face trouble while going to school. "We have asked the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to repair the road as soon as possible," he added.

Contacted, Md Abul Khayer, executive engineer of WDB in Kalapara, said "We have already seen the road and sluice-gate, and asked the authorities to take immediate steps for repair of the road," he added.