The lone highway connecting Koira upazila at far south in Khulna to the city 100km away has returned to its dilapidated state after it was repaired two years back.
The Roads and Highways Department repaired the highway in 2012, but the pitch carpeting started eroding before the year turned.
The road from Chadali area to Koira is in worst condition, with the 15 kilometres of Koira section of the road peppered with large potholes and severely eroded road surfaces.
People using the road regularly are going through endless suffering with the risk of accidents increasing everyday in the Koira, Paikgacha, Tala, Dumuria areas. Buses, trucks, motorcycles, and other public transports ply this road with the potential of accidents looming large all the time.
Abdul Hye of Doara village in Koira said: “We have to go through this rough ride all the time. There is an alternate route, but the cost goes up a lot to travel the additional 7-8 kilometres.”
Bus driver Mominul Islam said: “There is always a risk of accident when driving on this route. I have to be very careful and drive slow to avoid injuries to passengers and damage to the vehicle.”
Abu Syed Biswas, general secretary of Matsya Cooperative Society in Koira upazila, said: “Every year we deliver crores of taka worth fish to Khulna city from Koira and Paikgacha. Those fish are distributed in the country and exported abroad. We are having to use this risky unusable road for the sake of business. We see no effective measures being taken to repair this road.”
Koira Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Shamim Hasan said: “The issue was taken to the attention of RHD authorities but that went in vain.”
When contacted, the divisional RHD Executive Engineer Md Woliul Hossain said: “Repair work up to the Paikgacha area is underway and close to being finished. A demand note for repairs of the Koira section has been sent but the work cannot be started as the required funding did not come.”