The plight of Gaibandha's rural residents has reached critical levels as over 1,664 kilometers of unpaved roads crumble under the relentless assault of continuous rainfall. Despite ongoing efforts to extend and maintain regional roads and highways, the rural areas remain neglected and isolated.
These unpaved roads become treacherously impassable during prolonged rain showers or even brief downpours. Motorists find themselves at a loss as the roads transform into muddy waterways, rendering travel almost impossible. Pedestrians, too, grapple with the ordeal of navigating these deteriorating pathways.
Sources within the Gaibandha Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) reveal that the absence of an identity number (ID) on the list is the primary reason for the neglect of these vital roads.
One glaring example of this neglect is the 60-year-old, 2-kilometer stretch from Arifkha Vasudev Pur village in Ramchandrapur Union, Gaibandha Sadar Upazila, to Manoharpur village in Manoharpur Union, Palashbari Upazila. This road, which connects at least six thousand villagers and serves as a crucial route for hundreds of students, has remained unpaved for decades, making monsoon travel nearly impossible.
Mosabbir Hossain, the chairman of Ramchandrapur Union No. 6, lamented the situation, stating that a mere 250 meters of road construction was recently completed with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Union Parishad. However, the Union Parishad lacks the resources to pave the entire road, and they have urgently petitioned the local Member of Parliament (MP) and LGED for assistance.
Shabiul Islam, the District Executive Engineer of LGED, disclosed that last year, a list featuring 1,157 roads with a combined length of 1,664 kilometers in Gaibandha was submitted to the relevant authorities for identification. Once the necessary IDs are allocated, steps will be taken to address the pressing issue of unpaved roads in the region.
