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Despite tenders, work on Hatiyar roads has not started yet, indifferent Soj
The Noakhali Roads and Townships Department invited tenders for the Bhuiyar Hat-Jahazmara main road in Hatiya Upazila in November 2024.
But even after three months, due to the department’s indifference, the repair work on the risky Hatiyar main road has not started yet. As a result, road accidents are happening every moment. According to sources from the District Roads and Townships Department, the repair work on the Hatiyar Bhuiyar Hat-Jahazmara main road will be done in two packages. One package from Nalchira to Ochkhali and another package from the food warehouse to Jahazmara. One package costs 23 lakh taka and the other 30 lakh taka. Two contracting companies including Chowdhury Enterprise will do the repair work, said Deputy Assistant Engineer Md. Saikat of the Noakhali Roads and Townships Department.
About 600,000 people from 9 out of 11 unions in Hatia Upazila travel on this main road. The carpeting has come off in most places on this 30-kilometer road, creating dangerous potholes. Traffic gets stuck in the potholes, causing accidents when one vehicle collides with another. Since there is only one route for a large number of vehicles, the number of accidents is increasing gradually.
According to local health complex sources, in the last two months, two people have died in accidents on this road, and many people have been treated in various hospitals including Hatia in a life-threatening condition. Ansarul Amin Mithu, a victim who was seriously injured in a road accident in November last year, said that such accidents would not have happened if the road were not in a bad condition. CNG driver Kamru said that due to the very bad condition of the road, vehicle parts are often damaged. The expenses are more than the income. Two pedestrians named Amin and Kalam said that it is difficult for us to walk on the broken road due to the heavy dust while driving. Therefore, they strongly demanded the speedy repair of the road.
General Secretary of the Conscious Citizens’ Society Hatia Md. Mohibbul Mawla said that since the tender process along with the work order has been completed, the Noakhali Department of the SAO should not show indifference and quickly start the road repair work through the contracting organizations. Reports were published in several media outlets including ‘Pratiner Sangbad’ and ‘Dhaka Mail’ in the 2nd week of October 2024 about the poor condition of the road. The concerned department took steps to tender for the initial repair of the road.
Meanwhile, Hatia ‘Bhuiyarhat-Jahazmara’ road repair work supervision officer Deputy Assistant Engineer Md. Saikat was consulted about the contractor organization and advised this reporter to go to Maijdi Sadar to apply for information. In this regard, Soumya Talukder, Executive Engineer of the Roads and Settlements Department in the district, could not be contacted despite repeated calls on his mobile phone. As a result, when I spoke to Motahar Hossain Manik, the sub-divisional engineer of the SAWZ, he said, “We will send notices to the contracting companies. If they do not start work within a short time, we will take necessary action.”
