Vital Paikgacha rural road turns impassable

PAIKGACHA, KHULNA, July 22:  A 3.5-kilometre stretch of a key rural road in Paikgacha Upazila has become virtually impassable during the monsoon, disrupting transport, education and agricultural marketing for thousands of residents.

The deteriorated section of the Amirpur road in Goraikhali Union serves as the main link for residents of Amirpur, Hoglarchak, Bainbariya, Kumkhali, Bhagba and neighbouring villages to the upazila headquarters and the union parishad.

Locals said the road was brick-paved many years ago but has remained without major repairs for a long time. Most of the bricks have either sunk beneath the surface or been washed away, leaving large potholes that fill with rainwater.

As a result, motorcycles, vans, easy bikes and other vehicles can barely use the road after even light rainfall.
During a visit to the area, this correspondent found sections of the road submerged under water, while scattered bricks lay along the roadside or inside potholes.

Residents said the road has become their only means of communication, yet it is no longer fit for use during the rainy season.
Jogesh Mondal, a resident of Amirpur Village, said repeated requests for repairs had yielded no visible action.

"Students face difficulties attending schools and colleges, while farmers cannot transport their produce because vehicles are unable to use the road," he said.

He added that the poor condition of the road is causing financial losses to local farmers by delaying the transportation of agricultural products.

According to residents, one kilometre of the 4.5-kilometre road was repaired this year, but the remaining 3.5 kilometres have not been renovated for years.

They demanded that the road be rebuilt and paved with bitumen to ensure year-round connectivity.
Goraikhali Union Parishad Chairman GM Abdus Salam Keru said roads across the union were being repaired in phases and that the Amirpur road was also included in the union's development plan.

Paikgacha Upazila Engineer Shafin Shoaib said he had personally inspected the road and found its condition to be "very poor".

He said a proposal for repairing the road had earlier been submitted under the Khulna District Rural Infrastructure Development Project, but the project was not approved.

"However, we will continue trying to renovate the road through any available development programme," he said.