Roads at Bagmara being damaged for side ponds

BAGMARA, RAJSHAHI, Oct 2:  Many roads in Bagmara Upazila of the district are getting damaged due to reckless pond digging.
With unabated pond digging, roads are turning damaged causing communication suffering, said
Upazila Engineer  Sanoar Hossain.
Hamirkutsa-Birkutsa road was renovated few days back, he further said, adding, but it has turned dilapidated.
The road was constructed at Tk 3crore. It is under threat due to pond digging by Abul Hossain.
He added, local influential people are creating the stalemate by digging one after another pond along the road.
Pond digging along the road cannot be stopped any way, he maintained.
Local MP Engineer Enamul Haque directed authorities concerned to take legal action in response to the demand of the upazila engineer.
Local government department issued a circular directing not to dig pond or irrigation canal along rural roads. The circular signed by the department's Deputy Secretary Jasmine Parveen called it a criminal offense.
Ponds have also been dug along several roads including Bhabaniganj-Saipara, Bhabaniganj-Kesharhat, Sreepur-Mohanganj, Sikdari-Taherpur, Gopalpur-Balanagar, and Hatgangopara-Damnash.
These were dug over last 2/3 years. Roadsides in Ramrama, Mendipara, Dwippur and Saindhara  have been damaged due to pond digging.
In Saguna Village, union Member Ain Uddin has dug a pond in the corner of Dwipnagar by blocking the water by the road side. Dwipnagar-Bhabaniganj and Dwipnagar-Balanagar roads are collapsing.
Abul Hossain and Rafiqul Islam, who were digging ponds near the road, said, they have dug ponds on their own lands; no instruction was given by the administration.
Bagmara Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sharif Ahmed said, some pond owners were arrested earlier for digging ponds near the road; they were punished by a mobile court
Instruction of the MPs will be followed to protect the road so that no one can dig new pond.