A road in Noakhali Municipality has become a symbol of repeated repair failures, with allegations of poor-quality work and misuse of public funds after newly laid asphalt reportedly came off within a day.
The Hospital Road in Noakhali Municipal area was repaired on 3 July, but sections of the newly surfaced road deteriorated the following day, causing fresh frustration among residents and commuters.
Locals alleged that the road is being repeatedly repaired every year without ensuring lasting improvement, while the suffering of patients and residents using the route continues to increase.
According to Noakhali Municipality sources, the Hospital Road, located in front of the municipality office, is 1,050 metres long. More than 100 government and private hospitals and clinics are situated on both sides of the road, making it a crucial route for patients and healthcare workers.
The road was first constructed in 2018 by contractor Abdul Khaleque Traders at a cost of Tk1.79 crore. Since then, large potholes have developed at different points, creating difficulties for commuters.
Following public complaints, the same contractor was awarded a repair contract in the 2024-25 financial year at a cost of Tk21.29 lakh.
Residents alleged that although the road was initially built with substandard materials, the same contractor was again given responsibility for its repair.
Later in the same financial year, another contractor, Rahim and Sons, carried out carpeting work on the road at a cost of Tk20.95 lakh after it again became unsuitable for traffic.
Despite being repaired twice in the same financial year, the road deteriorated again within a year.
In the 2025-26 financial year, Sharmin Dairy and Enterprise repaired the road for Tk5.99 lakh. This year, the repair allocation increased several times, with Tk75 lakh earmarked for upgrading around one kilometre of the road.
The repair work was divided into three packages and awarded to Bismillah Traders, Rubel Trading Corporation and Maria Traders.
Among them, Bismillah Traders received a contract worth Tk23.70 lakh for constructing 116 metres of uni-block pavement and 204 metres of seal coat work.
However, allegations of irregularities have emerged over all three packages, with the work carried out by Bismillah Traders facing particular criticism.
The contractor completed seal coat work on 3 July, but locals alleged that low-quality bitumen was used. They claimed the newly applied surface peeled off within a day.
Rubel, a resident of the Maijdee Housing area, said public money was being “wasted in the name of repairing the road every year”.
“Nothing meaningful is being done. Thousands of sick patients use this road every day, but no one seems to be paying attention to their suffering,” he said.
Abdul Hai, who came to Maijdee from Hatia for treatment at a private hospital, said patients from his area have to travel to Maijdee because there are no major hospitals nearby.
“We suffer throughout much of the year while using this road. We see repair work continuing almost every year, but we never find the road fully usable,” he said.
Bismillah Traders owner Md Hanif said he received the work through a tender but handed it over to another party for execution.
“We have learned that some damage occurred due to rainfall. We will repair the affected sections once the rain stops,” he said.
Noakhali Municipality Executive Engineer Md Belal Ahmed Khan said the municipality had issued a letter to the contractor after receiving allegations of irregularities.
“We have asked them to correct the work quickly. In their reply, they assured us that the repairs would be completed within a short time,” he said.
