Residents of at least 12 villages in Naogaon’s Raninagar upazila have been suffering for long as the only paved road to reach Atrai upazila lies in a very poor condition.
Around 10 kilometres of the road connecting the two upazilas via Sahagola and Mirzapur are full of small and large potholes, causing mishaps and fatal accidents. The potholes are 1-2ft deep.
People living in Chawkbalaram, Akna, Jhina and several other villages have termed the road a death trap as it has not been repaired for long. They say they are forced to make risky journeys on the road every day.
The condition of the road worsens during the rainy season when the potholes are filled with rainwater. At the time, a 20-minute journey on the road takes around two hours.
Also, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles transporting goods often overturn because of the potholes.
Majibar, who lives in Sahagola village, said there is no other road to travel to Atrai, which has aggravated the problem.
“We had floods last year and the road was badly damaged, but the local authorities did not repair it. The monsoon is ahead and we are going to be in big troubles if the road is not repaired before that,” he said.
Other villagers also called on the local authorities to take immediate steps for fixing the road.
AKM Badshah Miah, executive engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department office in Naogaon, said a letter requesting funds for repairing the road had been sent to the authorities concerned.
“We will initiate repair work once funds are allocated,” he added.
