People suffer on Sylhet city's worn-out roads

City dwellers have been suffering for about two years due to the worn-out condition of most of the roads in the Sylhet City Corporation (SCC). Moreover, small and large ditches that formed or, worsened after this year's rainfall have made their hardships "extreme."

Delay in securing ministry approval for a Tk 2.16 billion road improvement project is SCC's main obstacle to conduct the repair works essential for most of the roads in the city corporation area, according to SCC sources.

As much as a million people live in the 42 wards of SCC, where there is a total of 1,068 km of road. Of that, 56 kilometres fall under the jurisdiction of the Roads and Highways Department (RHD). So far, RHD was unable to conduct any repair works on this 56 kilometres due to bureaucratic hurdles, while the SCC also expressed their inability regarding the matter. A SCC official said once they had repaired some 22 km roads with RHD's permission, but a repetition of such an approval is not always possible.

For a long time, SCC and RHD have been exchanging letters revolving around the 56 kilometres of damaged roads, but, any results are yet to be seen.

Several meetings between the RHD and SCC were also held regarding the paving of the ramshackled roads and a decision may come soon, according to RHD Executive Engineer Amir Hossain.

The condition of about 400 km roads in 15 wards, all of which were brought under the SCC in 2022, is worse beyond description since they were under Union Parishads. Moreover, plenty of ditches have formed on about 50 km of road in the 27 wards. SCC officials said 25 per cent of the city roads have long been in a pitiable condition.

Sylhet's Muradpur resident Shamim Ahmed said they have to pay city taxes at the ward councillor office since their area was brought under SCC and they also voted in the 2023 city polls. He said that their sufferings have worsened as there is none to look after the problems they are facing.

The two km stretch of road from Humayun Chattar to Chandipul is part of Dhaka-Sylhet Highway and falls under the purview of RHD. But, the road, through which cargo trucks, mini trucks and pick up trucks transport goods at the wholesale markets of Kalighat, Mohanjonpatti and neighbouring areas, is also another death trap with numerous ditches. These vehicles ply on the road day and night, taking risks.

Petty accidents occur on the ditches, which are, in some cases, huge in size in the SCC areas. During a visit, the FE found roads which are in the worst state with ditches are at Mendibag, Majortila, Tilagar, Shahjalal Uposhahar, Kalighat, Sobhanighat, Shibganj, Alurtol, Pathantola, Dorjipara, Mirabazar, Rainagar, Eidgah, Kodomtoli, Sabuktagin, Mirapara, Muradpur, Kushighat, Akhalia, Tukerbazar, and Baluchar, among others. The huge ditches at Muradpur intersection and Kushighat indicate that none cares about repairing the roads.

The Tk 2.16 billion project to conduct repair works on SCC's roads is yet to be sanctioned by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development & Cooperatives, according to SCC Chief Engineer (acting) Ali Akbar. He said that minor repair works would soon be conducted on a few roads.

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