3-hour journey to Mymensingh now takes over 10 hours for battered roads
Countless potholes coupled with stagnant rainwater on the road have made the usually three-hour journey from Dhaka to Mymensingh a 10-hour hazard.
It was Thursday around 3:00pm when Rayhan Ahmed, a resident of the capital’s Mirpur, got on a bus to Mymensingh to attend a wedding. He reached there around 1:00am due to severe traffic congestion on the highway.
This is quite common for bus passengers taking the route just after a light rain. The potholes on the road become traps once they go under rainwater.
Mohammad Sabuj, supervisor of the bus that Rayhan got on, said all the vehicles came to a halt from Board Bazar in Tongi to Shalna in Gazipur due to knee-deep water at different points.
“We had to spend around five hours here to go five kilometres due to waterlogging and traffic congestion. During the time, I have seen a covered van go upside down damaging another bus,” he said.
According to Sabuj, the journey to Mymensingh should not take more than three hours. It used to take at best three hours to cover the distance just two months ago.
Bus drivers blame the sorry state of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and waterlogging for the agonising waste of time.
Nannu Mia, a bus driver, said at least 20 points on the road are in a pitiable condition, which not only causes delay but also jerking that can throw a passenger off his seat.
On an average 20 vehicles get damaged every day especially at points between Board Bazar and Shalna, he said, adding that they have been spending around Tk 10,000 a month on repairing their bus since the beginning of the rainy season.
During a visit from Dhaka to Bhaluka on July 6, this correspondent spotted more than 20 points where the road is in a very bad shape.
The places include Cheragali in Tongi and Tongi bus stop, Gazipur intersection, Rajendrapur intersection, Bhabanipur bus stand, Bagher Bazar, Ansar Road, Mawna intersection, Masterbari in Bhaluka, seed store bazar near Bhaluka Model Police Station and Bhaluka bus stop.
Of the points, Board Bazar, Gazipur intersection and Mawna intersection in Gazipur are the worst. The locals blamed poor drainage system in the areas as inundation damages roads faster.
Abul Hossain, a resident of Gazipur, said the condition of Gazipur intersection to Ulka cinema hall, a stretch of around two kilometres, has been the worst for the last three months. The road gets under knee-deep water even after a moderate rain, not to mention heavy downpours.
According to him, new settlements have narrowed down the natural outlet in box culvert area, causing waterlogging. Rainwater of Dighir Chela and Out Para areas used to pass through this outlet.
MK Satellite Town, a housing facility, set up a 420-metre underground drainage line near Power House area in 2000, which narrowed down the natural outlet. The pipes used for this are only four feet in diameter and they mostly remain choked with waste.
The locals now demand an open drainage system so that blockages can be taken care of. The Roads and Highways Department has pledged a quick action.
Oliul Hossain, sub-divisional engineer of Gazipur, said they have been repairing the road at different points for the last few days. “We will repair the roads on a temporary basis and a permanent solution will be there once the government finishes the planned four-lane road from Joydevpur intersection to Mymensingh town,” he said.
He also admitted that waterlogging due to constant rain is the main reason behind the damaged roads.
-With The Daily Star input
