Newly constructed road collapses 9 days after completion

A road constructed at a cost of nearly Tk 12 crore in Gazipur has collapsed due to river erosion soon after completion.

Just nine days after completion, a section of the road in Dhananjaykhali area of Kashimpur caved in. Cracks first appeared on Thursday, and by Sunday noon, a major landslide had occurred along the 3km stretch from Kashimpur Nama Bazar to Dhandkhali village.

Local resident Anisur Rahman told The Daily Star, "Yesterday, the road collapsed by about 10 to 12 feet. Today, it collapsed by another 4 to 5 feet. In total, it collapsed by about 20 feet. This has caused panic among the people of the area. There is a fear that the road will collapse entirely and be devoured by the river. This is disrupting the communication system of the locals, including the students of Kashimpur High School and Dhandakhali Government Primary School nearby.”

Gazipur City Corporation sources said contractor UCCL was awarded the project, which included bituminous carpeting, sidewalks, railings, and guard walls along the Turag river’s west bank.

Under the project, 250 metres of WBM, 60 mm of carpeting, about 1.8 metres of sidewalk, railings and guard walls are to be constructed through two packages.

Superintendent Engineer and Project Director AKM Harunur Rashid said the collapse was due to a natural disaster. “About 10 to 12 feet of the road on the riverbank has collapsed. The road was built at a cost of Tk 11.67 crore. I have visited the site and informed the district city corporation [Gazipur] chief executive officer,” he said.

The road was set for inauguration soon after the new government took office.

A technical committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the landslide and recommend necessary measures.