People from 10 villages have been suffering badly as the Bijulia-Nagirat road in Shailkupa upazila under Jhenaidah has been laying, untended to, for 37 years.
Farmers and students are the worst sufferers here, but the authority is quite indifferent in this regard.
Upon visiting the road, our correspondent learned that the five-kilometre road under Monoharpur union has been left untouched by any signs of development for the last several years.
Anwar Hossain, from the village of Bijulia, said that development on the road had been completed about 37 years ago, but no initiatives were taken to further maintain the road’s condition from there on in, resulting in sizeable ditches having developed on the road.
No transport vehicles can be seen treading on the road, and rickshaw-vans are put off of it during the dry season. Even students are unable to attend schools in time.
Anwar said that thousands of people from the villages of Mahishadanga, Makrampur, Noupara, Kamanna, Bijulia, Manaharpur, Madhabpur, Bishnudia, Lakkhipur, Charlakkhipur, Damukdia, Nagirat and others, cross the road every day, as it is one of the most important roads in the locality.
Locals said that, during the dry season, pedestrians can be seen on the road regardless, and that the road gets completely drowned in rainwater during the rainy season. The farmers suffer the most however, when harvesting season comes around, mostly for paddy, wheat and oil seeds.
An elderly woman, Lalmoti Bhanu, from the village of Lakkhipur said that the road’s condition proves to be a hindrance for receiving medical treatment during the rainy season.
Any communication with the upazila health complex, via the road, is closed for an indefinite time. The elected representatives are usually only seen around the area just in time for the elections.
When contacted, Mustafa Arif Reza Mannu, State Minister for the Fisheries and Livestock Department, said that MP Abdul Hyee has, in the meantime, laid a stone foundation to further develop two kilometres of the road.