Residents of Sreepur upazila in Gazipur planted paddy saplings on an unfinished road protesting the prolonged suspension of a development project after the contractor allegedly abandoned the work nearly two years ago.
The protest was held on Monday on a two-kilometre stretch of the Nayanpur-Barmi road, where construction work has remained incomplete, causing severe suffering for thousands of commuters.
The six-kilometre road connects residents of Gafargaon and South Gafargaon upazilas of Mymensingh with Sreepur’s Kawraid, Barmi and Telihati unions. Locals said the damaged road has disrupted the movement of industrial workers, students and residents in the area.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) awarded the road improvement contract to Messrs Shammi Enterprise under the 2024-25 GOB Maintenance Project-3. The project, funded by the government’s revenue budget, was estimated to cost Tk4.09 crore.
The work, which started in mid-2024, involved repairing the road from Nayanpur Bazar to CCDB Mor. However, after digging up the road and laying brick chips, the contractor stopped work and has remained absent from the site, according to locals.
A visit to the area found that the road has developed numerous potholes as the brick chips were washed away over time. Rainwater has accumulated in several places, making the road hazardous for vehicles and pedestrians.
Local traders Rakib Mia, Sultan Uddin and Mostafa Kamal said the road becomes almost unusable after rainfall.
“After rain, it becomes difficult to tell where the road ends and the potholes begin. People fall, vehicles get stuck, and businesses are suffering,” they said.
Auto-rickshaw driver Sumon Mia said he has been unable to operate on the road for nearly two years, resulting in a significant drop in his income.
“A few weeks ago, some workers were seen at the site, but now all work has stopped. No one from the contractor’s side can be found in the area,” he said.
Local physician Shamsul Islam Tarek said residents had welcomed the repair initiative when it began but are now facing greater difficulties.
“Before the repair work started, we could still use the road. Now travelling has become extremely difficult. We urge the administration to take immediate steps to complete the work,” he said.
Attempts to contact Ziaur Rahman, owner of Messrs Shammi Enterprise, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to repeated phone calls.
Sreepur Upazila Engineer Touhid Hasan said the authorities had repeatedly notified the contractor to resume work but failed to get a response.
“Considering public suffering, we have informed higher authorities about imposing penalties and cancelling the work order. A fresh tender process will be initiated soon,” he said.
He blamed the contractor’s negligence for the delay and said the project would be completed after cancelling the existing contract and appointing a new contractor through a fresh tender.