Nalka Highway is now another name of suffering for those traveling by road in North Bengal. The highway has been narrowed due to road repairs in the pipeline of Sirajganj west of Bangabandhu Bridge. As a result, two lane vehicles travel in one lane, causing traffic jam. Thus, suffering of the passengers has increased. If the road is not repaired before the upcoming Eid of Ramadan, drivers and passengers are fearing a long traffic jam. However, the authorities say that the road will be completely renovated and the newly constructed pipe bridge will be opened before Eid.
The western link of Bangabandhu Bridge, the gateway to North Bengal, is used daily for transporting 22 districts from North, South and West including Bogura, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Natore, Khulna and Kushtia. At present, widening work is underway in the area of 22 km from Hatikumrul to the west bank of the bridge. As a result, the highway has been narrowed for repair work in different parts of the highway. In addition to narrowing the highway in Nalka, construction of new bridges is underway. As a result, two-lane vehicles have to move on this highway with one lane. As a result, the vehicles are not able to move at normal speed. Passengers have to wait for hours to cross this highway. Driver and passengers have to suffer a lot to reach the destination at the right time.
Sirajganj traffic inspector (TI) Salekuzzaman Salek said that the traffic congestion on this road is very high as the vehicles of the four highways of the northern region come to Salangar Hatikumrul and join the Bangabandhu Link Highway. In this situation, new roads are being constructed on both sides of Nalka Bridge on the western connecting highway of Bangabandhu Bridge and at the same time renovation work is being done on the old highway. As a result, thousands of vehicles on the highway have to move in one lane.
Salekuzzaman Salek further said that more obstacles are being created as the vehicles of the contractors engaged in construction and renovation work are also falling on the highway. That is why the vehicles running on the highway are suffering. Every day long queues of vehicles can be seen at the border market on the east side of the Nalka Bridge and up to Panchlia on the west side. Authorities concerned are continuing our efforts to keep the highways free from traffic jams. According to RHD sources, the Tangail-Rangpur highway will be added to the international corridor. That is why the international highway is being built. A four-lane highway is being constructed with separate lanes for slow moving vehicles on both sides. Under the Sasek Link Road Project-2, the development work of the 190 km long highway from Elenga in Tangail to Rangpur via Hatikumrul in Sirajganj is being implemented by five contractors from home and abroad.
Sher Shah Farid, assistant project manager of the Nalka Bridge project, said efforts were being made to completely renovate the road before Eid-ul-Fitr to reduce its misery. If the tube bridge is opened, the suffering of the passengers will be reduced.
It is to be noted that every day transport is carried on this highway through Bangabandhu Bridge in 22 districts of North, South and West including Bogura, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Natore, Khulna, Kushtia.