A Broken Road for 12 Years: Thousands in Bhola's Ilisha Endure Daily Suffering as Repairs Never Come
For the people of Ilisha and Rajapur unions in Bhola Sadar upazila, the suffering seems endless. For nearly twelve years a lack of repairs has left the road from Char Ananda in Ilisha to Roudrer Hat unfit for travel, and several thousand people now risk the potholed route every day.
The road is not merely a route for locals; it is one of their main links towards town. Countless people in the two unions depend on it for reaching schools, colleges and madrasas, for trade and business, and for everyday needs — and it also plays a vital role when someone falls ill and must be rushed to hospital.
On-the-ground observation shows breaks and large potholes at many points along the road. Many drivers avoid the route altogether to escape the risk, forcing many locals to travel on foot, which adds both time and hardship.
Students, patients, elderly people and ordinary pedestrians suffer the most. Carrying a sick person across the broken road to hospital is difficult enough, and the daily journey to school has likewise become full of fear of accidents.
Local pedestrian Kabir Hossain said: 'Because the road is broken, some vehicle meets with an accident almost every day. A few days ago a rickshaw overturned and several passengers were injured; one passenger on that rickshaw broke an arm. Before that, a child was also killed in an accident on this road.' His words make the scale of the risk plain.
Auto-rickshaw driver Rakib said: 'The road is in such a bad state that some part of the auto-rickshaw breaks almost every day. We face financial losses again and again. If the road were repaired quickly, drivers and passengers alike would benefit.' The broken surface is striking directly at drivers' incomes too.
Noman, headteacher of Purba Ilisha Gazipur Secondary School in Bhola Sadar upazila, said: 'Because the road is broken, reaching school on time becomes difficult. We have to travel with the constant fear of accidents. The road needs to be repaired quickly to ensure safe travel for students and teachers.'
Accidents keep happening, vehicles keep breaking and people keep getting hurt — yet locals say they see no effective initiative to repair the road, and they have voiced their anger. Their patience is wearing thin after the long wait.
Sources at the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) said a list of about twelve roads in Bhola Sadar upazila has been submitted to the relevant authorities, and the Char Ananda to Roudrer Hat road is on that list.
There is still no confirmed information, however, on when the repair work will actually begin. The uncertainty between being on a list and seeing work start is now the chief worry for the people of Ilisha and Rajapur.
The locals' demand is a single one: no more promises — the repair work should start quickly. Until it does, this risky daily journey will remain the fate of thousands across the two unions.
