Four key roads in Singair Upazila of Manikganj have fallen into severe disrepair, causing prolonged suffering for commuters as repair works remain stalled or incomplete.
Damaged surfaces, deep potholes, mud and waterlogging have made daily travel difficult for students, farmers, patients and office-goers, while residents say transport costs and journey times have increased significantly.
Farmers are also paying more to transport produce to markets, while families face difficulties taking patients to hospitals, particularly during the rainy season when conditions deteriorate further.
Among the worst-hit routes is the nearly four-kilometre Bangala Bazar-Matikata road under Zamsha Union, where renovation work was suspended following allegations over construction materials.
Contractor M/s Nirman Prokoushali secured the Tk3.13 crore project under an LGED rural road repair and maintenance scheme in November 2023. Under the contract, the work was supposed to be completed by April 2024.
After construction began, allegations surfaced that old bricks had been mixed with new ones for edging and brick salvage. The issue was later referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission, after which work stopped.
The project has yet to resume, leaving large potholes along several sections of the road. Rainwater accumulating in the holes has further worsened travel conditions.
The roughly 11-kilometre stretch of the Singair-Maniknagar-Sirajpur road between Maniknagar and Sirajpur is also in poor condition, with asphalt, bricks, sand and brick chips worn away in many places.
According to the Singair LGED office, around nine kilometres of the nearly 20-kilometre road between Singair and Sirajpur Haat was paved and repaired up to Maniknagar in the 2022-23 financial year.
However, the remaining section from Maniknagar to Sirajpur Bazar has remained unrepaired for a long time.
Another badly damaged route is the nearly seven-kilometre Bhumdakkhin-Khaserchar-Bhatirchar road under Dhalla union, which serves as an alternative and bypass route between Singair town and Savar.
Lack of maintenance for several years has left the road riddled with potholes. The stretch from Khaserchar Bazar to Bhatirchar has become particularly difficult to use, with mud and standing water disrupting the movement of patients and goods vehicles.
Repair work on the nearly four-kilometre Sahrail-Sholla road has also remained suspended for a long period despite having started earlier.
The road runs from Sahrail Mollabari in Shayesta Union to Khatia Bridge in Sholla and is an important link with neighbouring Nawabganj Upazila.
Residents said its poor condition has increased farmers’ transport costs and forced students to travel at considerable risk.
Regular users Mostafa Kamal Fakhrul, Ismat Ara and Solaiman Dewan Bikash said the road was one of the area’s important links with Nawabganj.
“Yet we are facing serious problems because of its deplorable condition,” they said.
Singair Upazila Engineer Md Golam Samdani said contractors had been instructed to quickly complete works that remained suspended because of negligence.
He said tenders and contracts would be cancelled if the contractors failed to complete the work within the stipulated time, while initiatives would also be taken to retender stalled projects where necessary.
Manikganj Executive Engineer Md Jamal Uddin said many roads across the district needed repairs and damage had increased during the rainy season.
He said damaged roads would be repaired in phases on a priority basis.
Manikganj-2 lawmaker Engineer Moinul Islam Khan Shanto said steps would be taken to repair important roads quickly to ease public suffering.
Residents, however, said assurances alone would not solve the problem and demanded that the four roads be repaired within a fixed timeframe, with strict monitoring to ensure construction quality.
