Photo : Messenger
The Eidgaon-Gomatali Road, named in honor of the poet Mohammad Nurul Huda, is currently in a state of disrepair, posing significant risks to the thousands of residents of Pokkhali, Islamabad, and Islampur unions who rely on it daily.
This crucial thoroughfare serves as a vital link to government offices, including the Upazila Parishad and administration, educational institutions, businesses, agriculture, fisheries, banks, and insurance sectors.
Despite the ambitious development plans for the Upazila and administrative infrastructure, the essential materials required for road maintenance, such as dump trucks, cement, and bricks, have been neglected by the Upazila administration. Over 5 kilometers of the road are riddled with potholes exceeding 5 feet in depth, making travel hazardous.
The road's condition has deteriorated to the point where it is nearly impassable in sections between Khodaibari on the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway and Gomatali Bazar. Areas such as in front of the temporary office of the Upazila building, Jahanaara Islam Girls' High School, Banshipur Point, Echhupa stream, railway banks, Sikdar Para west, Pahashiya Khal, Tekpara, Ichhakhali, New Bazar, East Pokkhali, Anor Gora, East Gomatali, Bengali Bazar, and Gomatali Bazar are particularly affected. The road is littered with more than 5 khanakhandas filled with goods, further impeding travel.
A tender for the road's construction was reportedly held four years ago, but due to the contractor's irregularities, the road has not been properly maintained, leading to its rapid deterioration. The use of substandard materials and extensive irregularities has rendered the road unfit for travel.
Nusrat Jahan, a student at Jahanaara Islam Girls' High School, shared her daily struggle to reach school, navigating muddy grounds and dirty water. She expressed the risks involved in taking vehicles to school.
School teacher Nurul Islam emphasized the long-standing neglect of the road, which is affecting education due to the authorities' negligence. He called for immediate repairs to ensure the mobility of the three unions and suggested that engaging an honest contractor would prevent such irregularities.
Chief Engineer Touhidul Islam of the local government engineering department (LGED) in Eidgaon stated that the road is currently in the tender process and that work will commence after the rainy season.
Messenger/Disha
