Communication has been restored on only three of the 19 roads in the district but vehicles are moving with great caution as those have been badly damaged.

The 59 km Sylhet-Tamabil-Jafflong road and the 52 km Beanibazar-Golapganj-Fenchu-ganj road are somehow usable.

A total of 243 km pucca roads out of 538 km in Sylhet district have been badly damaged by the flood, sources in the Roads & Highways Department said.

The 43 km Sylhet-Sutarkandi road, which links five upazilas is also badly affected as many points of the road were under 4 to 10 feet water for ten days. There are big potholes on it at several places.

Vehicles are however plying the road with great risk.

Buses and minibuses to Jakiganj are using an alternate road through Moglabazar and Dhakadakshin Bazaar.

At least Tk 29 crore is needed for making the pucca roads and highways somehow usable, they said talking to this correspondent yesterday.

The damage to feeder roads, bridges and culverts are yet to be ascertained as portions of many of those are still under water.

"You can well imagine the damage as those were under water for weeks", a high official of the RHD said.

Many of the kutcha roads have been completely washed away, he said.

Transportation of goods to most of the rural areas through vehicles is being greatly hampered, resulting in price hike of essentials.

Leaders of the Greater Sylhet Bibhag Unnayan Parishad handed over a memorandum to the Deputy commissioner on Saturday demanding immediate steps to repair the roads.

They also demanded repair of the Surma dyke at Singpur, which caused the havoc to many of the roads in the district.

Copies of the memorandum were also sent to the RHD.