Pothole-riddled Mymensingh road causes suffering for thousands

Thousands of people in Trishal and Phulbaria upazilas of Mymensingh are suffering as the Trishal-Phulbaria road has remained in a dilapidated condition for years, making vehicular movement risky.
Although renovation work on a three-kilometre stretch of the road began earlier this year, only around 1.5 kilometres have been completed, leaving the rest in poor condition.
During a recent visit, the Daily Sun correspondent saw that potholes have developed at several points along the road, with the pavement peeling off in places and mud emerging underneath. Auto-rickshaws and CNG-run three-wheelers frequently get stuck in potholes or overturn, causing accidents and disrupting transport. The movement of heavy vehicles has also been severely hampered, affecting the transportation of goods.
Students and teachers of two government primary schools in the Chalimpur area are among those worst affected. Teachers said many students now walk around two kilometres to school rather than travel by auto-rickshaw or van for fear of accidents.
Somaiya Sadmin, an assistant teacher at Chalimpur Government Primary School, said travelling on the road has become a daily source of anxiety. “There is always a fear that an auto-rickshaw or CNG-run vehicle may overturn while travelling on this road. Vehicles often fall into potholes and tilt,” she said.

Local resident Md Mokhlesur Rahman said people had been suffering for a long time because of the road's poor condition. He urged the authorities to complete the repair work quickly to prevent further accidents and ease public suffering. According to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the Trishal-Dhurdhuria road connecting Trishal Upazila Sadar with Phulbaria Upazila has been in a dilapidated condition for several years.
In January this year, a work order was issued to contractor Saiful Islam for renovating three kilometres of the road at a cost of around Tk2 crore. The contractor completed approximately 1.5 kilometres by May but has yet to finish the remaining section.
After being contacted, Saiful Islam said he had applied for a bill of Tk50 lakh in June but yet to receive any payment. “Work has also been hampered by a shortage of bitumen. I will complete the remaining work once the rain and adverse weather conditions subside,” he said.
Upazila Engineer Jubayet Hossain said he had repeatedly urged the contractor to complete the work as soon as possible. However, rainfall and unfavourable weather had made bitumen work difficult. Regarding the delayed payment, he said the contractor's bill could not be paid because the required funds had not been released from Dhaka.

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