Goods transportation and other works of Mongla sea port and Mongla export processing zone are hampering due to the bad condition of the roads, said authorities.
Of the 60 kilometres, six kilometres of Khulna-Mongla Highway became unfit for vehicular movement, said locals.
During a visit to the roads, this correspondent found that a number of big potholes have developed on the roads making it risky for commuters but Road and Highway Department authorities do not take any initiatives to repair the roads yet.
Locals alleged that Mongla is the second largest seaport of the country and the Khulna-Mongla Highway is the only road which connected Mongla with Khulna and Barisal.
In 2013, Road and Highway Department had repaired the highway. After three years of repairing, this road has ruined and six kilometres from Digraj area to Belai on the highway are in very bad condition and became unfit for vehicular movement.
As the road has become unfit for vehicular movement, thousands of trucks, lorries and passenger buses plying on the highway were stuck up on the road for hours, alleged locals.
Officials of Mongla sea port, members of Navy and tourists who came in the area to visit world’s largest mangrove forest Sundarbans were also sufferings a lot due to bad condition of the road.
Mongla Port Authority Chairman Rear Admiral Reaz Uddin Ahmed said: “This highway is very much important and we had tried to repair the road for several times in past with our own accord. We also requested Road and Highway Department to repair the road and they assured us that they will repair the road as soon as possible.”
When contacted Mahmud Hasan, general manager of Mongla Export Processing Zone (EPZ), said: “We are suffering huge due to bad condition of Khulna-Mongla highway. Foreign investors also suffer when they came here in aiming to invest which discontent them to invest.”
Mizanur Rahman, a fish trader of Mongla, said: “We need to use the road everyday to carry our fish to Khulna as most of the fish processing factories situated in Khulna.
But due to dilapidated condition of Khulna-Mongla highway we have to spend at least 3 hours instead of 30 minutes to reach Khulna from Mongla.”
Abdul Jalil, a bus driver on the route, said: “Due to big potholes in one side of the road, drivers use only one lane of the two lane road which is causing huge traffic jam.”
Anisuzzaman Masud, executive engineer of Bagerhat Roads and Hoghways, said: “We have already called for tender to repair the road and hope we will able to start repair works very soon.”
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