Risky road crossing
Several thousand students of a few schools, beside the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Mirzapur upazila, cross the busy highway risking their lives to go to their institutions.
There is no speed breaker and no traffic police on the highway near the institutions, and there is no over-bridge for pedestrians.
The primary schools are Sohagpara Government Primary School and Deohata Government Primary School in Gorai union, Kurni Government Primary School and Shabhulla Government Primary School in Fotepur union, and Pakulla Government Primary School in Jamurki union.
The secondary schools are Gorai High School and Deohata AG High School in Gorai union, Kurni Jalal Uddin High School in Fotepur union, and Nawab Sir Abdul Gani High School in Jamurki union.
Shahidur Rahman, a Class VI student of Kurni Jalal Uddin High School, was killed recently when a bus hit him while he was crossing the highway.
Class VIII student Mohammad Sifat and Class VI student Sajib Hossain of Deohata High School were severely injured when a motorbike hit them while they were crossing the road.
Students Hasan Miah, Rashedul Islam and Sanjida Akter said they have to wait a long time beside the highway for crossing it safely to reach their school. The school authorities assign someone of the school to help the students cross the highway safely after the classes are over, they added.
Headmaster of Sohagpara Government Primary School Rina Roy said many students have no alternative but to cross the highway to reach the school, adding that a fatal accident can happen any moment.
Headmasters Abu Taher of Kurni Jalal Uddin High School and Lutfar Rahman of Gorai High School also said the same and expressed their fear over safety of their students.
They also demanded deployment of traffic police and construction of speed breakers so that the students can cross the busy highway safely.
Speed breakers had been constructed in front of the schools, but they were removed when the work to upgrade the highway to four-lane started about two years ago, said SM Arshad Alam, a rights activist in Mirzapur.
Gorai Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khalilur Rahman Patwari said the speed breakers were removed when work started on the four-lane highway. Normally, four-lane highways do not have speed breakers, he said.
Project Manager of Joydevpur-Elenga Four-Lane Project Jikrul Hasan said although it was not in the plan previously, they are now constructing seven overpasses and thirteen underpasses at the busy crossings on the highway under the project.
"Foot over-bridges will need to be constructed near the schools as well as several other spots on the highway after ending of the four-lane works," he added.
Mirzapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Israt Sadmin said she will request the higher authorities to take necessary measures in this regard.
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