Jute market blocks Pabna highway twice a week

A highway is supposed to be a major road for convenient transport between towns. But the Pabna to Rajshahi highway transforms twice a week into a congested mess at Tebunia Bazar, when an overflowing traditional jute market occupies part of the roadway. For farmers, commuters, students and the travelling public, it's a nightmare.

Operating from 5:00am until noon each Sunday and Wednesday from mid-August to mid- November, the large number of jute-laden four-wheelers and horse-drawn carriages create havoc, not to mention the crowds of buyers and sellers. For through traffic there is very little road space left. According to traders, tailbacks stretching over a kilometre are not uncommon.

“The road is so jam-packed it is difficult even to cross it,” says a professor of Tebunia Samsul Huda Degree College. “Students sometimes miss classes because of the disruption.”

Photo: Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu

But it's not only the students of the several nearby institutions who suffer. In the vicinity of Tebunia Bazar there are also banks, government and non-government offices, as well as innumerable businesses forced to endure the regular chaos.

Even those involved in market trading suffer. “We often have to sell our crop at reduced prices,” says one jute farmer, Mokhtadir Rashid, 55. “The market is so cluttered and inconvenient that there isn't always the opportunity to negotiate properly with buyers.”

Those with permanent shops nearby say that they hardly see customers on market days, since all are keen to avoid the area.

“We have a plan to relocate the market to a suitable place,” assures Pabna District Council's Chairman Rezaul Rahim Lal, “but it will take time. After discussing the matter with locals and jute traders we will take action to ensure the smooth movement of passengers and others using the highway.”