Nandail pothole-riddled road puts commuters at risk

The Nandail-Hossainpur-Pakundia regional road in Kishoreganj has fallen into a dilapidated condition, causing severe hardship for passengers and drivers.

Numerous potholes and large craters have developed along the road, turning a 30-minute journey into a one-and-a-half to two-hour ordeal.Local residents have urged the authorities to repair the road immediately and make it safe for regular traffic.

The important road, which falls under the Local Government Division, has remained neglected for a long time. Locals said the road was repaired about four years ago using low-quality bricks, brick chips and bitumen, but several sections deteriorated again within a year.

A recent visit found large potholes at various points along the road. Auto-rickshaws, buses and goods-laden vehicles are being forced to move at very low speeds. During rain, water accumulates in the potholes, worsening the situation and increasing the risk of accidents and transportation costs.

Kamrul Ahsan, an official at the Hossainpur ticket counter of Jalsiri Paribahan, said around 60 buses of the company and 30 buses of Bannya Paribahan used to operate on the route several years ago.

“Passenger numbers have fallen significantly because of the poor condition of the road. Although it was repaired about four years ago, it deteriorated again within a year,” he said.

Oli Ullah, a Jalsiri Paribahan bus driver on the Nandail-Mohakhali route, said vehicles frequently break down because of the damaged road.

“The approximately 30-kilometre road from Nandail through Hossainpur to Pakundia is in very poor condition. The road is also narrow, making it difficult for two vehicles to pass each other. A journey that should take about 30 minutes now takes one and a half to two hours,” he said.

Hossainpur Upazila Engineer Bidyut Kumar Das said an estimate for repairing the road from the Hossainpur municipal area to Jangalia in Pakundia upazila has been prepared and sent to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).”We hope repair work on the road will begin very soon,” he said.

Masud Mia, a resident of Baskanda who works at a garment factory in Gazipur, said the road is an important route for communication with Dhaka.

“Yet we have to travel with fear every day because of its poor condition. When vehicles fall into potholes, the jolts cause particular suffering for children and elderly passengers,” he said.

Passenger Shuli Akter said the potholes become submerged during rain, while dust creates another problem during the dry season.