Yasir Silmy
The Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway, renowned for its picturesque scenery, adorned with green hills, trees, small rivers, and the serenity of rural life is becoming a perilous path, resulting in numerous accidents and fatalities. Consequently, the highway is now known more for its risk than its beauty- a troubling juxtaposition between the allure of travel and the deadly peril it poses.
While previous movements and articles have demanded the widening of this road, and my writing may be deemed rehashing old news, I feel no exhaustion in repeating what is true and necessary!
Five members of a family were killed and two others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a microbus in Chakaria upazila of Cox’s Bazar on 5th November, underscoring the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway’s grim reputation as a ‘Death Trap.’ The involved bus was operating with an expired road permit for two months, highlighting significant lapses in road safety management. This tragedy raises urgent questions about the accountability of authorities in preventing further loss of life.
This approximately 150-kilometer highway is vital for the country’s economy, tourism, and humanitarian efforts. Around one hundred thousand people use this road daily, as it serves as the primary route to Cox’s Bazar, the country’s top tourist destination.
Furthermore, all essential goods (from equipment for the Matarbari deep-sea port and power plant to food and medicine for Rohingya refugees and locally produced fish, salt, and daily necessities) are transported via this single route. Despite its overwhelming importance, this vital artery has remained a narrow, two-lane highway for decades. It is a ‘highway’ in name only but a narrow, congested road in reality.
Most of the road is only 18 to 22 feet wide, which is too narrow for one of the busiest roads in the country. Unsurprisingly, road accidents here are a daily reality.
According to the Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, in the first eight months of this year, 65 accidents occurred on this road, resulting in 98 deaths and 256 injuries. Areas like Patiya, Satkania, Lohagara, and Chakaria have become accident hotspots. A total of 21 high-risk points have been identified, yet effective solutions remain distant.
An analysis of the main causes of these accidents reveals that the problems primarily stem from structural and managerial issues. Lack of safety dividers, dangerous bends and slopes, salt-carrying trucks that leak brine, reckless driving, poor lighting, and the unchecked operation of small, illegal three-wheeled vehicles on the highway are some to be named.
Moreover, village markets and densely populated areas directly abut the highway; drivers coming from other parts of the country are often unfamiliar with this road’s perilous characteristics.
The only permanent solution to make this highway safe and efficient is its immediate upgrade to six lanes. This demand is not merely the plea of the local people of Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar; it is a national demand for the sake of the country’s economy and tourism sector.
Over the past few years, different classes of people in society have held demonstrations in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar and submitted memorandums to the chief adviser demanding this upgrade. While Advisor Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan announced in April that work to initiate the six-lane upgrade was starting, no visible progress has materialised to date. Presently, we don’t need assurances but real action.
A legal notice from the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) has ignited a new discussion amidst the high demand for expansion. It has demanded the cancellation or suspension of the existing ‘Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway Improvement (Phase-2) Project.’
BELA’s argument is valid: the project, as currently planned, will severely damage biodiversity in various forest areas, including the Chunti Wildlife Sanctuary, Fasiakhali Wildlife Sanctuary, and Medhakachhapia National Park. The Forest Department also shares its concern, stating that forest land will not be allocated for road expansion, instead suggesting the construction of flyovers or underpasses to protect the vital wildlife corridor.
Expanding the highway to six lanes will significantly reduce accidents and offer multiple benefits. Travel time for the 150 km stretch will decrease from 4-5 hours to about 2, enhancing tourist access to the world’s longest natural sea beach. This improved connectivity will attract both domestic and foreign investment to the tourism sector, thereby boosting the local economy and job creation.
Also, the upgrade is crucial for supporting the operational needs of the Matarbari Deep Sea Port and Special Economic Zones, facilitating quicker movement of goods. The road also plays a vital role in delivering humanitarian aid to the Rohingya population and could connect with the Asian Highway network in the future.
While the government must prioritise the rapid expansion of the Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway for economic growth and long-term travel safety, the six-lane completion will take time.
Concerned authorities should install temporary dividers immediately to reduce deadly head-on collisions and construct bypass roads and foot over-bridges around populated areas to divert high-speed traffic. Re-engineering dangerous bends and slopes for safer driving; enhance monitoring through smart traffic systems to deter speeding and the use of illegal vehicles; implement a special policy for salt transport to prevent the slippage caused by leaking brine.
To end this senseless tragedy, wisdom must prevail among all parties- from the highest officials to individual commuters. We must adopt a collective commitment to reduce the accident rate relentlessly toward zero, as it is a moral imperative grounded in the fundamental truth that every single life is sacred and non-negotiable.
The writer is the Chairman-in-Charge, Journalism and Media Studies, BGC Trust University Bangladesh
