A large portion of the Ghorasal-Palash Road in the district has been lying in dire state for long time due to lack of maintenance.
According to local sources, the road has turned unfit for vehicular movement as no repair work was done in last 2 years.
The unpaved road dotted with numerous potholes has turned into virtually a ditch for thousands of passengers who travel on the road every day. During the dry season, the road is covered in dust, but in rainy season, commuters’ sufferings have no bound.
The road connects 2 fertilzer industries, a sugar mill, 2 cement factories, 5 jute mills, 3 food procesing industries and many small industries and factories. Everyday more than thousands of truck and heavyweight vehicles ply on the road.
On the otherhand, CNG-run autorickshaw, battery-run autorickshaw and rickshaw van run on the road and these types of small vehicles have to go slow taking hours to travel the eight-kilometre distance.
Morshed, a CNG driver of Ghorasal pourasava said: “It is very difficult to drive vehicle with passengers on the dilapidated road.
“Sometimes, passengers fall down from the van and get hurt, ” he said.
“Why the authorities are not taking steps to repair the road?,” he raises question.
Mahbub, a commuter said it was a must to repair the road immediately as it had become unfit to move. Ruhul Ahmed, CNG driver and also resident of the pourasava, said it took 20 to 25 minutes to cross the road in a better condition, but now it took almost an hour.
When visited, it was found that big potholes developed on the three kilometers road from Ghorasal Bus Station to Baghmara Pran Industrial Park. The road cannot be passed on foot let alone by vehicle due to the big hole here and there.
Teachers and students of several educational institutions in the area also have to suffer due to poor condition of the road.
Shahabuddin, headmaster of Janata Jute Mill School, said students had to suffer a lot as the road houses a number of schools.
“Students of my school fall in difficulties for the dilapidated road. “Their sufferings had no bound during the rainy season,” he said.
In rainy season, students fall in pothole as they cannot see because it is covered by rainwater, he added. Kanailal Gope, headmaster of Somobai Adarsha School echoed Shahabuddin.
Abdullah Al Emon, student of Class VIII of Ghorasal High School said: “ We cannot attend the school timley as the vehicles move slowly due to poor condition of the road.”
Truck driver Rafiqul Islam said: “Everyday a large number of vehicles ply on the road to carry goods as its an industrial area.”
The concern authority should take steps to repair the road considering its importance, he said.
Mahbub, a resident of the area said, the road had taken bad shape as heavyweight vehicles ply on it.
Fazle Rabbi, assistant manager of RFL Group Ghorasal unit said: “Everyday, our 500 vehicles ply on the road. Recently, we cannot run the vehicles as the road is in bad shape.”
Businessman Kajal said: “ The vehicle owners charge extra fare to carry goods as the road is not good condition.” Contacted, Shariful Haque, Ghorasal Pourashava Mayor said:“Road and Highway department asked us to repair the road on the condition that we could not take advantages after the work.”
Roads and Highway engineer Md Moniruzzaman said: “The pourasava had taken the responsibility of the repair but they did not do. We want to complete the work before Eid with the help of them.”
