Communication between Bandarban district town and Thanchi upazila may suspend anytime as the main thoroughfare which connects the upazila and district headquarters lies in a sorry state.
The road at 17 spots has subsided making the communication of thousands of people risky.
According to Roads and Highway Department sources, Thanchi upzila is 82 kilometre away from district town. A good portions of the road at Sotero Mail, Purabangla, Gelanga Rastar Matha, Kaprupara, Nilgiri, Jibon Nagar, Balipara, Kolaipara and Sakhaypara have remained subsided for long, but no step has been taken to mend the road.
Kei Hlia Ching Marma, chairman of Thanchi union parishad, told the Dhaka Tribune that he had informed the matter to deputy commissioner, State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tract Affairs Bir Bahadur, MP and officials of Roads and Highway Department, but the problem was yet to be fixed.
Local people said the road at several points have subsided into 10 to 15 feet depth. Sometimes vehicles plying on the road got stuck on the big potholes not only causing sufferings for commuters, but also posing life risk to them.
Due to the dilapidated state of the road, local people cannot transport their agri-produces properly and they have to count additional fare.
Md Jasim Uddin, general secretary of Thanchi Bazar Committee, told the Dhaka Tribune that as the road lied in a rundown state they had to count extra money to transport crops.
“That’s why production cost of vegetables have increased and growers are getting less profit,” he said.
Remakri, Nafakum, Boromadak and Amiyokum are the main attraction of tourists. This year, presence of tourists has declined to a great extend and for this reason people who depend on tourist-sector are passing bad time and incurring huge losses.
Dablu Borua, a tourist guide, told the Dhaka Tribune that he was passing days with hardship as his income had reduced in these days because tourists did not dare to come to the upazila to visit seeing terrible situation of the road.
Former chairman of Balipara union parishad Kasao Marma told the Dhaka Tribune that the road lied in a poor state due to the negligence of Roads and Highway Department. He said: “We are frustrated with the matter.”
Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Thanchi Mohammad Anwar Hossain said the Army had temporarily repaired the road after road communication between district town and Thanchi upazila suspended for a month. But later the road later turned back to its previous state.
Engineering Construction Battalion 16’s Major Humayun Kabir said maintenance of the road had been handed over to Roads and Highway Department. But Executive Engineer of the Roads and Highway Md Yunus told the Dhaka Tribune that firstly they were entrusted with the renovation work of the road, later, Bangladesh Army had taken the charge of the road.
