A road never paved

Barely five kilometres away from Patuakhali district town, an earthen road lies neglected for decades.
The 2km road from Muchir Pool in Sharikkhali area under Patuakhali Sadar upazila connects to the Patuakhali-Kuakata regional highway, and is considered an important road for commuters travelling to the district town.
Around 5,000 people from eight villages in three unions use this road.
Despite its importance in rural connectivity, the road has remained unpaved for years.
“Residents of Auliapur, Kalikapur and Madarbunia union regularly commute to the upazila headquarters and district town using this road. Also, many students use it to attend classes in several educational institutions in the locality. Yet, over the years, even bricks were not laid on the road, let alone getting it paved,” said Hanif Mridha, 55, a local resident.
Visiting the area recently, this correspondent saw that the entire stretch of the road is in a dilapidated condition. Students were seen tucking their trousers up to knee while using the road, while their uniforms are smeared with droplets of mud and dirty water from potholes and puddles.
“As no union parishad chairmen and members live in this area, they never took any initiative to renovate the road,” alleged Deen Islam, a college student.
Md Altaf Hossain, a local, called for urgent steps to renovate the road.
Contacted, Mir Hussain Ali, executive engineer of Local Government Engineering Department in Patuakhali, said they were unaware about the road’s condition.
“We will take necessary measures after an inquiry,” he added.