Villagers Suffer as Rural Road Remains Half-Paved with Bricks and Dirt

Photo: CNI

Naogaon Correspondent: Residents of Dariapur, a long-neglected village located at the junction of Raninagar and Naogaon Sadar upazilas in Naogaon and Adamdighi upazila in Bogura, are facing severe hardship due to the poor condition of their only access road. As the village lies on the boundary of Adamdighi Upazila, locals say government officials from various development agencies rarely visit the area. The road remains largely unpaved, forcing thousands of residents, including schoolchildren, to wade through knee-deep mud during the monsoon season.

A visit to the area revealed that the road connecting the village through the Raninagar Fish Market has been paved with bricks in some sections, while other stretches remain earthen. Recently, another short section from Chakuzir School toward the village was brick-paved, leaving an approximately 400-foot stretch between Mofazzar's Bamboo Grove and Mostak's Shop unpaved.

According to local sources, the project was carried out by Nazim Uddin, Panel Chairman of the Santahar Union Parishad and a local BNP leader, after acquiring the contract from the original contractor. Villagers have expressed strong dissatisfaction, alleging that the work was carried out arbitrarily.

Residents said the new brick paving should have begun where the previous paved section ended. Instead, workers reportedly laid bricks on a separate section, leaving the middle portion untouched, allegedly following the chairman's instructions. They argued that this has created greater inconvenience, particularly during the rainy season, when the unpaved stretch becomes extremely muddy. Many accused the chairman of implementing the project without proper planning and claimed it was intended to misuse public funds rather than serve the community.

Local residents, including Alam Hossain and Rafiqul Islam, said it is standard practice for road paving to continue from the end of the existing paved section. Leaving a gap in the middle, they argued, defies logic and creates unnecessary hardship. They also questioned the quality of the bricks used, expressing concern over whether the project was being implemented according to official standards.

Other villagers, including Abdul Quddus, Jafar, and Jamed Ali, said it is unfortunate that in the modern era their village still depends on an earthen road. During the monsoon, students often slip and fall in the mud, emergency patients cannot be transported easily, and small vehicles cannot enter the village. They also alleged that the village's isolation has contributed to a rise in criminal activities, including drug abuse, gambling, theft, and robbery.

Responding to the allegations, Adamdighi Upazila Engineer Ripon Kumar Saha said that around 900 feet of the road remains unpaved, and funding has been allocated this year to brick-pave approximately 400 feet. He explained that the survey team had mistakenly identified the project section from Chakuzir School to Mofazzar's Bamboo Grove, although instructions had been issued to begin the work from the end of the existing brick-paved road.

He added that he was unaware why the contractor left the middle section unpaved. The engineer said the site would be inspected, appropriate action would be taken against the contractor if necessary, and the remaining portion of the road would be brick-paved as soon as possible.