A five-kilometre portion of the 21-kilometre road from Kaliganj Bazar in Kaliganj upazila to Dakbangla Bazar in Jhenidah Sadar upazila has remained incomplete one and a half years after expiry of the stipulated time, much to the sufferings of commuters of three upazilas in Jhenidah district.

Continuous exposure to dust also harms the crops beside the road, farmers said.

As potholes and cracks developed on the road, the authorities gave work order to three contractors for reconstruction of three portions of the road following tenders, said sources of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in Jhenidah.    

Tk 24 crore 25 lakh was allotted for the purpose.

The work started in January, 2012, and was scheduled to be finished in June, 2013.  Two contractors completed the work of their portions from Dakbangla to Ganna Bazar.

But another contractor Shahinur Alam has completed only three kilometres of his stipulated eight-kilometre area so far while the rest five kilometres from Ganna village to Alaipur village remains incomplete.

"It is difficult to open my shop due to dust. Residents beside the road are suffering due to the same reason," said Altaf Hossain, a shopkeeper of Ramnagar intersection.

"Earlier I sold chilli produced on my one bigha of land for Tk 70/80 thousand. But the yield had dropped due to roadside dust and I sold the produce for only Tk 30 thousand this year," Rabiul Islam of Singdah village said.

"Pores in the leaves of the crops are filled up due to continuous exposure to dust. It hampers growth of the plants and production of crops as formation of chlorophyll is disturbed," said Md Mosharraf Hossain, Kaliganj upazila agriculture officer.

Rokibul Islam, executive engineer of RHD in Jhenidah, said the contractor concerned has been directed to complete the work soon or face lawful action.

Contractor Shahinur Alam said, "I could not complete the five-kilometre portion of the road due to various complexities. I will complete the work soon."