Pabna municipality: Locals take it upon themselves to fix road

Due to the negligence of the authorities concerned, residents of Ataikula Road (Terminal Road) in Pabna municipality have taken it upon themselves to repair a one-kilometre stretch of the road to prevent continuous accidents.

Raising funds and collecting materials locally, the residents began filling potholes by pouring brick chips and sand on the concrete surface.

"At least one kilometre of Ataikula Road, from Muzahid Club area to Chapa Mosque, has become dangerous to travel due to dozens of large potholes. The stagnant rainwater in the potholes has made movement even more difficult," said Akhinur Islam Remon, a social worker in the area.

Several accidents have recently occurred on the damaged road. While many vehicles avoid the route, residents are forced to use it to reach their homes.

"Earlier, we formed a human chain demanding repairs and several reports were published in various media outlets, but the authorities took no action. So, the residents decided to take the initiative themselves," said Remon, also a local journalist.

Remon organised the collection of funds, bricks, and sand for the repairs, with technical support from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the municipality authorities.

"We have temporarily repaired the large potholes at a cost of 2 lakh takas, entirely donated by locals," he said.

Repair work began on Saturday and is expected to be completed this week, according to locals.

Md Obaidul Haque, assistant engineer of Pabna municipality, said around 130km out of the municipality's 240km road network is in dilapidated condition due to years of neglected repairs.

Ataikula Road and Hospital Road, two of the busiest roads, are in dilapidated condition.

The authorities have approved a Tk 16 crore project, including drainage work, said Haque. "We are in the final stages of starting the project and expect to call for tenders this month," he added.