The 22-kilometre stretch of Chandura-Singerbil road in Bijoynagar, Brahmanbaria, has fallen into a state of extreme disrepair, with potholes so large they resemble small ponds.
The bitumen has worn off across the thoroughfare, leaving behind numerous large and small craters, while some sections have either subsided or become unevenly undulating.
This thoroughfare serves as the main road for Bijoynagar Upazila and is a vital alternative route for vehicles travelling between the Akhaura Land Port and the Sylhet-Cumilla region.
Although the total length of the road is around 27 kilometres, the 22-kilometre portion falling within the Bijoynagar Upazila is the most severely affected.
Recent heavy rainfall has turned the road into a veritable death trap, with waterlogged potholes causing immense suffering for pedestrians, passengers, and transport workers.
Among those worst hit are school and college students, pregnant women, children, the elderly, patients, and local businessmen.
The most dilapidated sections of the road include Chandura, Satgaon, Aladaudpur, Mirzapur, Mollartek, Petuajuri, Champaknagar, Noagaon Mor, Adampur, Khiratala, Sripur, and Singerbil.
In addition to the rain, the lack of a proper drainage system and the practice of residents discharging household wastewater onto the road through pipes have ensured the road remains waterlogged and muddy year-round.
Local transport operators report that vehicles are frequently damaged, leading to rising maintenance costs. Sadia, an SSC examinee, noted that the broken road has led to a shortage of transport and exorbitant fares, causing “limitless suffering” for students.
A CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver, Rubel Mia, said the road has been in this state for a long time, causing vehicles to frequently get stuck and resulting in daily accidents.
While the local administration attempted to fill the holes with brick chips about a year ago, this proved to be a temporary fix, and the road has now become even more dangerous.
Residents of Champaknagar and Chandura highlighted that the Bijoynagar section of the Akhaura-Chandura road is currently the most unusable.
Given its strategic importance, locals are demanding that the road be transferred from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) to the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) for sustainable development.
Khaled Hossain Mahbub, the member of Parliament for Brahmanbaria-3 (Sadar-Bijoynagar), has already raised the matter in the House, advocating for the road to be brought under the RHD for widening and sustainable construction.
The residents of the region are now looking to the relevant authorities for urgent intervention to alleviate their long-standing grievances.
