A border road along the three hilly districts of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban is expected to bring about a drastic change in the topography of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
Being constructed to enable surveillance and prevent cross-border criminal activities, the highs and lows and dangerous turns of the 1,036km road can be a majestic experience for tourists, locals say.
The first phase of the road, stretching 317km, is expected to be opened in June this year.
Therefore, there is hope of a renewed boost to the local tourism sector centred on the road. Locals say the road will play an important role in bringing about a change in people’s quality of life. It will transform local education, health, security, and information technology and expand tourism.
Additionally, the road is expected to play a key role in the production of agricultural products and advanced products in the hilly region of the country.
The 16-, 20- and 26-ad hoc Engineer Construction Battalions under the 34 Engineer Construction Brigade of the Army Corps of Engineers have constructed the road. The Roads and Highways Division is in charge of implementing the project that spans the Rajasthali-Bilaichhari-Juracchari and Saichal-Pankatachhara-Majhipara-Dopanichhara regions.
Bangladesh's south-eastern hill region shares 330km of its border with India and 210km with Myanmar. Local traders hope that trade and commerce between Bangladesh and India will further develop once this road is complete. Alongside this, due to improved surveillance, crimes and trafficking along the border areas will come down significantly.
The construction of the road to make patrolling easier in the remote areas commenced on January 1, 2018.
According to the authorities concerned, the initiative came as a response to insurgent activities and smuggling along a 20-kilometre stretch of unguarded hilly border with Myanmar in the southeast, which has become a safe haven for insurgents and weapons smugglers.
Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri termed the project a mega one. He said it would be executed in three phases.
The construction of 220km of the road under the first phase, or 82%, has already been completed. The rest of the 47km will be constructed by June 2024. The total cost of the first phase will be approximately Tk3,800 crore.
Nangolap Tanchangya, a resident of Bilaichhari, said that earlier it used to take people a day to carry a sick person to a nearby hospital. But now the nearby hospital is an hour away. However, the road is very dangerous due to its sharp turns, and accidents may occur if an inexperienced driver is driving on this road.
Mohammad Ali Chalak, a resident of Bangalhalia, says that it is now convenient for the locals to travel by car due to the construction of the border road. Local communication has improved very much, he added.
Meanwhile, Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary ABM Amin Ullah Nuri, along with senior officers of the Bangladesh Army, inspected the project on March 8.
Colonel Bhuiyan Mohammad Golam Kibria, project director of the 34 Engineer Construction Brigade, said that this portion of the road has nine sections. There is a very small portion that goes through Ghumdhum and extends to Ramgarh in Khagrachhari.
The officer said that the brigade is currently working at double speed to complete this challenging project as soon as possible, and 95% of it will be done before the monsoon arrives.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the first phase once it is complete. After that, the initiative to begin the second phase will begin.
The work of the third phase will begin only after the completion of the second phase, Col Kibria said, adding that the Bangladesh Army is overcoming various challenges in constructing the road.
