The Lalmonirhat-Burimari National Highway is in dilapidated condition leading to frequent accidents.
Although Tk50 lakh has been spent to repair 17km of the road from Burimari land port to Mirzercoat in Patgram city corporation, the stone carpeting is gradually fading on the 89km highway.
The road condition started deteriorating from July this year due to the heavy rainfall.
Truck drivers are apathetic to drive on this road full of large potholes. As a result, traders are being compelled to pay extra to them to transport goods.
Around 400 goods-laden trucks ply through the Burimari land port. Trucks carrying imported products every day take the highway to reach different districts from the Burimari. Besides, 13 Dhaka-bound coaches and 26 Rangpur-bound local buses set out from Burimari Bazar for different parts of the country through this route.
Truck and bus drivers are risking their lives for a living seeing no other way.
Haji Abdur Rashid, a businessman of Parulia Shimultola area of Hatibandha upazila, said: “It is difficult to travel through the Lalmonirhat-Burimari National Highway. Corruption of contractors and engineers have led to the poor construction of the road, as a result, potholes appear following downpour. Bus and trucks regularly get stuck in the potholes.”
A truck driver Riaj Hossain and his assistant Md Ratan Miya said they started for Rangpur from Burimari land port on Sunday with 300 sacks of limestone seeds. Right after starting the journey, they came across a number of potholes and saw that the road had turned narrower. The stone carpeting was gone. Wheels of heavy vehicles created holes on the road which were muddy and full of rainwater. No one was there to monitor the situation.
Anwarul Islam, a local resident of Uttar Parulia area, complained that carpeting on one-fourth of the road was gone. The road has turned narrower where commuters move risking lives as accidents occur frequently. He doubted if the road would be reconstructed ever.
Sub-Divisional Engineer of Lalmonirhat Roads and Highways Department Monowarul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “Measures were taken to repair the 106km highway in three phases. In the first phase, a construction firm from Pabna, Dhrubo Constructions, repaired 17km of the road from Burimari land port to Patgram city corporation with Tk6.50 crore. Now, around 37.5km road up to Kaliganj upazila’s Bhotmari is under reconstruction.”
Lalmonirhat Roads and Highways Department Executive Engineer Abdul Halim said: “Due to heavy rainfall, last month potholes occurred on different points on the Lalmonirhat-Burimari National Highway. Repair work started in full force. The first phase is over. Now we are waiting for tender to start the second phase. After appointing a contractor, the repair work would start.”