Sylhet-Gowainghat road ‘death trap’

S A Shofiee, Sylhet:
The road in Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet, which is rich in tourism, is like a death trap. The 10-kilometer road renovation costing Tk 27 crore is progressing slowly. Tourists and upazila residents have to travel at risk. The contractor who got the work has sold the work. Sub-contractors are doing the work. In such a situation, the LGED engineer promised to complete the work.
Commuters have to travel at risk on the pothole-filled road. Especially students, tourists, and locals are constantly suffering while traveling on the poor road. Drivers and passengers are traveling at extreme risk.

This road, which is about 24 km long, has been flooded seven times in two and a half years. This has created deep holes in seven places. Especially in the areas from Salutikar Bazar to Gowainghat Sadar, Nayagaon-Nandirgaon and Toakul Bazar, the condition is bad. It has become difficult for students and transport users to move safely on this road.

Renovation work is underway on 10 km of the road through two packages at a cost of about 28 crore taka. The work on this project started in March 2024. A person from Barisal named Dilwar is the main contractor of the road. He has appointed a local person named Faisal as a subcontractor and is doing the road work.

Contractor Faisal said that the work was stopped for 2/3 months during the student-public movement. However, the renovation work has resumed.

Although this work was supposed to be completed in January 2025, not even 50 percent of the work has been completed yet. Sylhet LGED Senior Assistant Engineer AKM Shahidul Islam said that the work is scheduled to be completed by December 2025 after rescheduling.
About 312 km of roads in Gowainghat Upazila were damaged in the floods of 2024 and 2025. This includes local roads and culverts.