Movement of heavy vehicles on the Sadullapur-Dhaperhat Road in Sadullapur upazila in Gaibandha has been at a halt since last two months now causing untold sufferings to the vegetable farmers and businessmen of the upazila.
The chaos occurred when a 20-25 year old bridge near Bakshiganj Bazar collapsed snapping vehicular movement on the 16km long road which is the only connecting road between Rangpur-Dhaka highway and Sadullapur upazila.
Dhaperhat Union Parishad Chairman Shahidul Islam said two months back a massive hole occurred on one of the slaps of the bridge. Although the matter was immediately informed to the upazila Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) authority, no step was taken in this regard.
Locals had constructed an alternative road with mud, on which rickshaws, autorickshaws and human hauliers ply amid risk, but heavy vehicles like goods laden buses or trucks could hardly use the road, he said.
The goods laden trucks now have to take longer routes through Gaibandha and Palashbari and spend double than what they used to pay for transportation cost, said Kushu Dhojwa Pramanik, a trader of rods and cements in the upazila.
Hamidur Rahman Rafu, owner of Tanin Traders, said everyday wholesale traders from different corners of the country used to come to the upazila to take away at least 30 trucks of rice, paddy and wheat. But now they have lost interest as heavy vehicles cannot ply on the road anymore, compelling them to pay extra for transportation.
A transport workers’ leader of the upazila Raja Miya said all the Dhaka-bound vehicles that used to take up the road now have to drive 28km extra through Gaibandha and Palashbari. As a result they charge Tk50 more to the passengers.
Mokhlesur Rahman, a vegetable farmer of Torof Mohodi village, said as trucks are not being able to enter the local Bakshiganj Haat, price of vegetables have declined causing the farmers considerable losses.
Upazila Agriculture Extension Officer Obaidur Rahman Mondol said Sadullapur had been known for producing ample amount of vegetables in Gaibandha.
A village haat that used to take place twice a week in Bakshiganj attracted wholesalers from all across the country, however, the farmers now have to spend extra to go to other haats in Dhaperhaat to sell vegetables, he said.
LGED upazila engineer Azizul Haque said: “This situation has occurred because the bridge was built around 25 years back. More than Tk16 lakh are required for reconstructing the bridge for which application has been placed at the LGED Rangpur divisional office. The matter was under process now.”
He hoped that the bridge would be reconstructed by June next year.
