The Roads and Highways Department is planning to revamp the Sylhet-Companiganj-Bholaganj road and upgrade it to a highway, said the department officials.
Shah Nizam Uddin, sub-divisional engineer at the RHD in Sylhet, said the proposal of a Tk6.4-crore project in this regard had been submitted to the chief engineer last week.
“The chief engineer is going to send the proposal to the Communication Ministry. Upon approval, the ministry will forward it to the Planning Commission,” he said.
“If the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approves the project, we will hopefully be able to start it before December,” he said.
Under the project, titled Bholaganj-Khagail-Lalbagh-Badaganj-Kumargaon National Highway Project, a 45km long and 40-foot wide road will be built to upgrade the district road to a highway, the RHD official said.
The road in question has been in shambles for over a year, causing immense suffering for the commuters.
The road is frequently used by heavy vehicles, which carry stones from the Bholaganj stone quarry – the largest in Bangladesh – to the rest of the country.
Its condition is especially bad in Dupalgul, Borni, Companiganj, Tuker Bazar, Porua and Bholaganj areas.
Locals said the frequent plying of stone-laden trucks created large potholes in the road and made commuting in the area very difficult and time consuming, with frequent occurrences of road accidents.
Abdul Alim, a resident of Companiganj, said: “The distance between Sylhet and Companiganj is 27km. If the road is in good condition, it takes around 45 minutes to go to Sylhet from Companiganj. But with the current state of the road, we have to spend an hour and a half to two hours to get to Sylhet. This road is like a curse for us.”
The Sylhet Sadar-Companiganj Unnoyon Parishad and local residents have been pressing the local administration to repair the road for a long time.
The RHD started preparing the project proposal after Communication Minister Obaidul Quader instructed them to start the process to repair the dilapidated road after visiting the site on May 14.
“This road is affected with cancer. We will take immediate actions to repair it,” the minister said.