8.4 km Road from Manikjhuri to Kochupatra on Amtali-Taltoli Highway Has Turned into a Death Trap.

.Bipkob kumar Das, Amtali (Barguna) Correspondent. The 8.4 km stretch from Manikjhuri to Kochupatra on the Amtali-Taltoli road has become impassable. Vehicle movement is disrupted. Accidents occur frequently. At least 200,000 people of Amtali and Taltoli Upazilas are suffering immensely. The affected locals are demanding urgent road repairs. It is learned that the 40 km coastal regional highway runs from Amtali-Taltoli to Fakirhat. In October 2021 under the Annual GOB Maintenance Project, Barguna LGED invited tenders in 3 packages for the construction of the 8.4 km road from Manikjhuri to Kochupatra Bridge at a cost of Tk 8 crore 43 lakh Barguna contractor Md. Sagir Hossain got the work. He did not do the work and left it pending for two years. In mid-2024, the contractor, influential Awami League leader Md. Sagir Hossain started the work. Locals allege that from the beginning, Sagir used substandard construction materials and did not follow the work order, instead doing the work as per his own wish. Locals also allege that although a complaint about irregularities in the work was lodged with the then Amtali Upazila Engineer Md. Abdullah Al Mamun of LGED, he took no action. After doing shoddy work, contractor Sagir withdrew all the money.The work was completed in late 2024. Within six months of construction, the road became full of potholes. Big craters formed every 10 meters. People suffer while vehicles ply on that road. This is the only road connecting Amtali and Taltoli Upazilas. For the last two years, at least 200,000 people and hundreds of vehicles have been using it, risking their lives. On Monday, a visit to the site showed the road is nothing but potholes. There are huge craters every 10 meters. Because of the potholes, vehicle movement is hampered. When vehicles get stuck in the craters, traffic on that road comes to a halt. Motorcycle drivers Md. Shah Alam Talukder and Rubel Mia said, "The road got filled with potholes within a short time of construction. For the last two years we have been risking our lives to use this road." They added, "This is not a road, it's like mini ponds." Md. Helal Uddin Senior Teacher at Tarikata Secondary School, said, "I don't know if there is any other road like this in Bangladesh. Several hundred students come to school risking their lives on such a pothole-ridden road. Only Allah knows what might happen. I demand this road be built quickly." Students Sumaiya, Kolpona Akter, Abu Saleh and Shah Newaz of Arpangashia Secondary and Tarikata Secondary School said, "This is not a road, it's a death trap. We have to travel on this road risking our lives." They also demanded quick construction of the road. Mosharraf Hossain and Shahidul Islam of Tarikata village said, "Because the contractor is an influential Awami League leader, he used substandard materials and did not follow the work order. As a result, the road was full of potholes within six months of construction. We have had to travel on this pothole-ridden road for the last two years." They demanded legal action against contractor Md. Sagir Hossain and officials of the local engineering department involved in the irregularities. Contractor Md. Sagir Hossain denied any irregularities in the work. Over the phone he said, "The road collapsed because vehicles heavier than its capacity were plying on it. What can I do about that ?" Amtali Upazila Engineer Md. Idris Ali said, "It's true the road is full of potholes, but the DPP for the road construction has been approved. The tender will be invited very soon." Barguna Executive Engineer Md. Mehedi Hasan Khan said, "I was not in charge in Barguna when that road was built. So I don't know about the irregularities in its construction. However, the road construction work will start in this fiscal year."