Staff Correspondent, Narayanganj

The Dhaka-Narayanganj Old Road (Shyampur-Postogola) is known for its dust and dark, dilapidated condition! For the past year and a half or more, the road has been in a miserable state. Due to the poor condition of the road, one of the largest wholesale markets for bricks, sand, cement, and rods in the country, located in Munshikhola, has faced a collapse in its business.

According to building materials traders, the market is suffering a daily business loss of crores of taka. Sales of construction materials have significantly decreased.

Until the late 1990s, the Dhaka-Narayanganj Old Road was the main route connecting the capital Dhaka. At that time, the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road was not yet operational. Once the Link Road became fully functional, the Old Road lost its importance for passengers. However, the area of Pagla-Munshikhola remained a bustling hub for building materials businesses.

But since the commencement of the Elevated Expressway construction, the road has never been fully repaired. Over time, the potholes on the damaged parts of the road have grown into larger craters, causing trouble for commuters, even during the dry season, because of the dust.

The Road Department is well aware of the deplorable condition of the Narayanganj-Postogola Road. The information they have indicates that the road has long been awaiting repair. There are large potholes on the road, and during winter, dust and dirt become a major problem. Passengers and pedestrians are enveloped in dust when vehicles pass through. Locals have held human chains demanding repairs to this road.

Jihad Islam, a resident of Pagla Nandlalpur area, said, "Anyone who travels from Dhaka’s Postogola to Narayanganj will realize the dire condition of this road. The roads from Postogola-Shyampur-Pagla to Fatulla are full of huge potholes. No one is paying attention. After the elections, the elected representatives disappear. The situation has become so bad that it has become extremely difficult to commute from these areas to Motijheel for office work. I urge the concerned authorities to immediately repair the Postogola-Narayanganj Road and establish a drainage system to resolve the waterlogging issue."

Meanwhile, local residents, led by BNP’s central executive committee member and former MP of Dhaka 4-5 Salahuddin Ahmed, held a human chain demanding the repair of the Postogola-Narayanganj road. On Monday (January 13), nearly a thousand residents participated in the human chain in the Postogola area.

Salahuddin Ahmed stated, "The road from Shyampur Kadamtali Postogola to Narayanganj has been in a deadly state for a long time. However, the fascist government of Sheikh Hasina has done no development work on this road in the past 16 years. After the fall of fascism, the locals have taken to the streets to fulfill their long-standing demand. They want to see this road repaired as soon as possible."

It is known that no development work has been done on the Postogola Road for over fifteen years, and the road has fallen into a state of neglect. Potholes and craters have turned it into a death trap.

Locals complain that for the past 15 years, this road has been deprived of any development. They demand immediate permanent repair. However, the Narayanganj Road Department's Executive Engineer has proposed to upgrade the road to six lanes.

On Wednesday (November 13), it was observed on the ground that the road was filled with water and large potholes. Small and large vehicles are constantly overturning. This poor condition of the road is not new; it has been in this state for almost a decade and a half.

Locals complain that the 12-kilometer long Dhaka-Narayanganj Old Road from Chashara in Narayanganj to Postogola in Dhaka has become impassable. Due to large potholes and waterlogged areas from Pagla Market to Postogola, residents and drivers face endless hardship.

The same situation exists from Chashara to Panchabati. Every year, most parts of the road get submerged during the monsoon. Due to the large potholes and craters, traffic jams occur, causing passengers to suffer for hours.

Passengers further complain that vehicles overturn due to potholes, causing accidents and injuries. Transport owners and drivers are financially affected due to the damage to vehicle parts. Additionally, the intense dust poses a health risk to commuters.

During the past fifteen years of the Awami League government, no development work was done on this road. Due to its poor condition, the road has become a death trap. Every day, at least five lakh people suffer from the inconvenience of using this road.

The poor condition of the road has also caused damage to business owners in the Fatulla BSCIC industrial area and nearby garment factories. Due to the road's hazardous and impassable nature, foreign buyers are reluctant to visit the factories, creating problems in securing orders. Factory owners are demanding that the road be repaired and modernized in order to revive the export sector.

Several directors of the export-oriented garment factories in Fatulla stated, "Because of the poor condition of the road, foreign buyers do not want to visit our factories. As a result, we cannot show them our factory environment and production conditions. Furthermore, even when meeting buyers in Dhaka, we are unable to reach on time due to traffic jams. Therefore, we urge the interim government to upgrade this road to four or six lanes. This will help restore our export speed."

However, the Narayanganj Road Department's Executive Engineer Shahana Ferdous has assured that a proposal for upgrading the road to six lanes has been drafted.

The proposal for upgrading the road from Postogola to Chashara to six lanes has been sent to the Planning Commission by the Roads and Highways Department. Currently, the situation is being assessed. Additionally, tenders have been issued for repair work, and it is hoped that the repair work will be completed soon.