Rajshahi, Oct 1 (V7N) – The 12-kilometre road connecting Tanor and Mohonpur upazilas in Rajshahi has become largely unfit for traffic due to prolonged lack of repairs and inadequate drainage, causing serious difficulties for commuters and drivers.
The road, which is maintained by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), has deteriorated particularly badly along the stretch from Kashem Bazar to the main entrance of Mohonpur Police Station. The section near a mosque in Pollakuri village of Mohonpur has developed severe potholes and erosion.
A visit to the area found that heavy and overloaded vehicles have increasingly been using the road as an alternative route while construction work on the Tanor-Baya road has been continuing for about a year. The additional traffic pressure has damaged the road surface, with asphalt and brick chips breaking away and deep potholes forming.
The situation has been worsened by the lack of a proper drainage system. Houses along both sides of the road are reportedly situated at higher levels than the road, but no adequate drainage facilities were constructed. As a result, even light rain causes waterlogging that persists for long periods.
Large potholes remain hidden under muddy and dirty water, posing a serious risk to rickshaws, battery-powered vans, motorcycles and bicycles. Local residents said accidents have become a regular occurrence.
Residents and drivers said the road, which was built many years ago and is only about 12 feet wide, is too narrow to cope with the current volume of traffic. They said no initiative has been taken to widen it despite the growing pressure.
With no convenient alternative route, school and college students, emergency patients and elderly people are forced to use the road despite the risks. Heavy vehicles are further worsening the potholes, raising concerns about possible major accidents.
Local residents have called on the Mohonpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer and senior RHD officials to inspect the road immediately. They also demanded urgent widening and reconstruction of the road along with the installation of an effective drainage system.
Sanjida Afrin Jhinuk, executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department in Rajshahi, said she had not previously received any formal complaint about the road’s condition.
She said she would look into the matter promptly and take the necessary administrative and technical steps to repair the road.
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