Kumargaon-Badaghat-Airport Road project in Sylhet faces long delay

The long-awaited project for upgrading the 'Kumargaon- Badaghat-Airport road' into four-lane is facing trouble with delay in work for various reasons including complexity over land acquisition as well as locals' obstacles.

The deadline for work on the four-lane project had to be extended by two years up to June 2026, official sources said. Besides, filing new cases of land after the political changeover on August 5 last year and trouble over land acquisition caused new problems.

Meantime, the authorities have recently changed the road's alignment at places while they attained about 60 per cent progress in the project.

Amid rising pressure on the divisional city, the importance of the road that also links with the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway got additional attention years ago. As a diversion of commercial transportation, the 12.5 km road was developed and to meet the demand for making it a four-lane one to facilitate movement of the stone-carrying trucks, tourist transport as well as for the airport-goers.

In line with a new project proposal of 2016, two service lanes were added to the four-lane project. Things got a new mode after the 2018 election for expansion of the 'Kumargaon-Badaghat-Airport Road with a targeted expenditure of Tk7.2763 billion (Tk727.63 crore).

Starting on January 4, 2023, the work was scheduled to be completed by June 2024.

According to officials, six kilometers stretch of the road runs up to the Kumargaon bus stand on the Sylhet-Sunamganj road and it goes through Badaghat up to the Osmani International Airport Road.

Of the 12.780 km of the four-lane road, 4.3 km is owned by the Roads and Highways Department, where the 4-lane work is done.

But the Roads and Highways Department has been facing obstacles from locals as rest of the land is owned by the individuals, officials said, whereas Tk770million (Tk77 crore) in compensation for land had already been deposited with the Deputy Commissioner's Office.

But the acquisition process is being hampered as the land owners cannot provide required documents in favour of their lands, the sources added.

Work on the 4-lane is being hampered at Barsala Mouja, Chatol Mouja and at Dhupnikhola Mouja. RCC road work has been done on the 4-km of Temukhi to new central jail. Construction work of drains and dividers is going on there.

But locals stopped work on two km road area from the central jail to Nilgaon where only a culvert has been constructed.

Some locals of the area also filed a case. On the other hand, weeks ago locals also stopped RCC work on the 3-km road stretch from Nilgaon to Baishtila Bazar.

Contacted, executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department, Sylhet, Md Amir Hossain, admitted that problems have arisen due to locals' obstruction over land acquisition at places although the department had deposited the money for land long ago.

"However amid the locals' obstruction, we have proposed some changes on the original road alignment," the official said.

"Meantime, our proposal for changing the road alignment in Chatol Mouja had been approved officially while alignment change in Dhupnikhola Mouja would be approved and we would be able to work there soon," the official added.

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