Rajbari roads need repair

Most of the roads across Rajbari Municipality have long been in a sorry state due to lack of repair works for years, causing sufferings to residents.

Established in 1913, the municipality with 11.66 sq km area now has a population of 65,410.

Talking to this correspondent, many residents said despite paying all kinds of taxes regularly, they are being deprived of different civic amenities, including proper road network.

Some of the roads are no longer fit for vehicular movement, but are still being used by people and vehicles for commute amid risk of accidents, they said. The situation turns worse in monsoon, they added.

They alleged that the municipality authorities neither took accountability for the situation, nor took any steps to ease public sufferings.

Visiting different areas of the town recently, this correspondent observed that the roads have become dilapidated in absence of repairs for a long time, with numerous potholes having formed here and there, while the bitumen surface has worn off in most places.

The condition of some roads is so poor that even a slight rain leaves them filled with puddles and mud, making it difficult for people to walk.

"The roads in the town are in a sorry state. Plying vehicles on these roads has become very risky," said Md Arif Hossain, 29, a battery-run auto-rickshaw driver from Ramkantapur village.

Echoing him, Md Mintu Mondal, 42, another easy-bike driver, said, "Transporting critical patients to hospital has become very difficult due to the dilapidated state of the roads."

"Despite paying our taxes in time, we are deprived of the municipality's facilities. Roads outside the municipality, even in union level, are comparatively in much better shape," said Dipok Dey, 35, a trader in Binodpur area.

Contacted, AHS Mohammad Ali Khan, executive engineer of Rajbari municipality, informed that of the total 108km road network in the municipality, 70km is in need of repairs.

"No major last renovation work has been done to the roads since 2014-15 fiscal year due to lack of funds," he added.

Md Tayeb Ali, executive officer of Rajbari municipality, said "The roads will be repaired on a priority basis once we get funds."