A road repair project costing Tk36 million has failed within just three months, leaving thousands of residents in serious difficulty in Nabiganj upazila of Habiganj. The 17-kilometre Kajiganj Bazar-Markuli road, an important route connecting the upazila with its haor areas, is once again riddled with potholes despite repair work carried out only about a year ago.
Local residents say the condition of the road has deteriorated to such an extent that travelling along it has become a daily ordeal. Numerous potholes, ranging from small depressions to large craters, have appeared across several sections. During the rainy season, many of them fill with water, making it difficult for drivers to identify their depth and location. This has increased the risk of accidents, particularly for motorcyclists and passengers travelling in smaller vehicles.
More than 30,000 people from at least two unions depend on the road for their regular travel. The route is also used by hundreds of vehicles every day, including CNG-powered auto-rickshaws, easy bikes, trucks, pick-up vans, motorcycles and ambulances.
According to local sources, the road had remained in poor condition for a long time before the repair work was undertaken. About a year ago, Tk36 million was reportedly spent on repairing the damaged sections, mainly by filling potholes with broken bricks and brick chips. Residents claim, however, that the work lasted less than three months before the road began returning to its previous condition.
The deterioration has affected both transport and emergency services. Residents say vehicles are often reluctant to use the route because of the poor surface, while passengers sometimes have to pay nearly double the usual fare to secure transport. Taking critically ill patients to Nabiganj Upazila Health Complex or hospitals in the district headquarters has also become difficult, particularly during heavy rain.
Residents of East Bara Bhakoi and West Bara Bhakoi unions said they now feel apprehensive whenever they have to travel on the road. They claimed accidents occur regularly at different points, while vehicles frequently become damaged after falling into potholes.
Akhtar Hossain Chuba, chairman of Kajiganj Bazar Union Parishad, described the condition of the road as extremely poor. He said the potholes were so large that the road appeared to have been dug out for fish farming. Although the road was repaired with bricks about a year ago, he said, it returned to its previous condition within three months.
Former Nabiganj upazila chairman Mujibur Rahman Shefu said the situation becomes particularly difficult during the monsoon, when water accumulates in the potholes and makes the road resemble a river in places. He urged the authorities to take immediate steps to repair the route properly.
The poor condition of the road is also affecting the wider social and economic life of the communities that depend on it. Difficult travel can disrupt access to healthcare, education, markets and other essential services. For residents of remote areas, a badly damaged road can turn what should be a routine journey into a costly and time-consuming trip.
The repeated deterioration has also raised concerns among locals about the effectiveness and durability of repair work carried out with public money. Residents want a lasting solution rather than temporary pothole filling, arguing that another short-term repair would leave them facing the same problem within a few months.
Nabiganj Upazila Engineer Mir Sabbir Ahmed said a proposal had been sent to the relevant department for the rapid repair of the important road.
For the thousands of people who rely on the Kajiganj Bazar-Markuli route every day, the immediate priority is to make the road safe and usable again. With the monsoon worsening the condition of the potholes, residents are calling for prompt action and a repair programme capable of providing a durable solution rather than another temporary fix.
