<i>Unity is strength, they know</i>

A few thousand villagers yesterday joined hands to complete the four-kilometre road from Salal to Saldaho in remote Mansurnagar union under Kazipur upazila in Sirajganj.Photo: STAR

About five thousand people including women and students from seven unions of Jamuna chars under Kazipur upazila yesterday joined hands to build on voluntary basis a four-km long road from Salal to Saldaho in the upazila.
CARE-Bangladesh's Shouhardo programme and NDP, a local NGO gave logistical support to the volunteers.
Mozammel Haque Bokul, Kazipur Upazila Chairman inaugurated the road construction work in the morning.
According to locals, Monsurnagar is one of the most neglected unions out of 82 in the district. For want of road, people in the areas had been suffering manifold problems for years. They were deprived of proper medicare, education and appropriate prices of their produces including paddy and vegetables. They urged the government several times to build a road from Salal to Saldaho village, but to no effect.
Upazila chairman Bokul said, about 20,000 people of the areas would be benefitted on completion of the road construction. Besides, about 10,000 bighas of land would be safe from river erosion while many lands would be cultivable and get back fertility. He also expected to finish the work within three days.