Unrepaired road, immense sufferings

Delay in renovation of a road connecting Khulna University of Engineering and Technology and several other institutions has resulted in immense sufferings to the city residents.
The road is an important thoroughfare in the city, with thousands of city dwellers including students, teachers, office-goers using it for their daily commute.
The Tk 22.84 crore project to renovate the 1,185-metre road from Phulbari Gate to Govt Laboratory High School on Khulna-Jashore highway, jointly financed by Bangladesh government and Asian Development Bank, is being implemented by Khulna City Corporation, jointly supervised by Local Government Engineering Department and Khulna Development Authority.
Former KCC mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque inaugurated the project on January 12, 2023, slated to be completed by January 26 this year.
However, even eight months past the stipulated deadline, the contractor firm Mahbub Brothers Pvt Ltd is yet to begin the renovation of the road.
Over the past 20 months since the project began, only 60 percent of the drainage work has been completed, while the road has been left dug along the entire stretch for installing gas, Wasa pipeline, telephone and electric connections.
Visiting the site recently, this correspondent saw the road muddy and waterlogged in many places, rendering it largely unfit for use by pedestrians and vehicles.
“It has been a miserable situation this monsoon as the road became impassable due to the digging and waterlogging. My two sons, who are students of Govt Laboratory High School, are compelled to use the road amid risk to attend school daily,” said Toriqul Islam, a resident of Phulbari Gate area.
Aklima Khatun, a student of Khulna Women’s Technical Training Centre, echoed him.
Md Mizanur Rahman, headteacher of Pratibhamoyee Pre Cadet School, said around 600 students of his institution have been facing difficulties to attend school due to the road’s dilapidated state.
Robiul Hossain Bidyut, project manager of Mahbub Brothers Pvt Ltd, said complications arose due to encroachments by local businesses and residences, which hindered the road’s renovation work.
“Due to the unrest in recent time, the work remained stopped… The work has resumed in full swing. After the drain work is done, we will start renovating the road. We hope to complete it by December this year,” he added.
Contacted, Mashiuzzaman Khan, chief engineer of KCC, said there has been considerable negligence by the contractor firm, which led to the delay in completing the road’s renovation.
“We have written to them that if they do not complete the work by December 31, their license will be blacklisted,” he added.