Kishoreganj-Bhairab Regional Highway is the only road from Kishoreganj to Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet. Every day and night hundreds of thousands of vehicles ply this busiest road. Small and big accidents occur every day and night at some places on this regional highway.
According to the cases registered with Kishoreganj Model Police Station, Pakundia, Katiadi, Bajitpur, Kuliarchar and Bhairab police stations, 146 people lost their lives in 164 accidents on this regional highway from January 2021 to December 2023.
Passengers say that buses are stopped everywhere to pick and drop passengers. Besides, vehicles coming from the opposite direction, plying of prohibited three-wheelers, CNG-powered auto-rickshaws, easy-bikes and battery-powered rickshaws, unfit traffic, want of pedestrian-bridges (Foot over bridges) at road crossings, passenger transport in trucks and on the roof of buses mainly responsible for the rise road crashes.
Our correspondent found more causes responsible for increasing in road crashes. They are –plying vehicle on high speed, overtaking motorbikes, overtaking on dangerous curves, parking cars on the road. Apart from this, potholes and cracks have developed at different places of the regional highway and it has become like a drain.
Every day lakhs of people travel through this regional highway. But due to potholes and vandalism at various places, the road has become almost impassable. As there is no alternative road, drivers go along thehighway risking the lives of passengers and the staff including drivers and helpers. It takes two to three times longer than the normal situation to reach the destinations.
Meanwhile, many people are getting sick while travelling along the dilapidated highway. As a result, the passengers have to travel with unknown risks. Various problems are also appearing in the vehicles while moving over the trenches. As a result, the vehicles are carrying passengers and goods have to bear the loss.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has informed Kishoreganj sources that the distance of Kishoreganj-Bhairab regional highway is 56 km. The distance from Barapul area to Katiyadi upazila is about 27 km. This 27 km road has 41 turns. Only the 12 km road from Pulerghat Bazar to Katiyadi has 25 turns. There are at least 7 dangerous turns on it. Of the 164 accidents that occurred in the last three years, 70 percent of the accidents occurred due to potholes, broken roads, unfit vehicles, inattention of drivers and excessive turning.
According to sources, the work of Kishoreganj-Bhairab regional highway was completed in 2018 at a cost of about Tk 200 crore. After that, if there is any kind of damage to the road for three years, the contractor will repair it according to the conditions. No renovation work is going on for the last two years.
Mohammad Jahangir Hossain, motor vehicle inspector of Kishoreganj BRTA, said that we conduct regular seminars to increase the awareness of drivers to prevent accidents.
Md. Maidul Islam, Sub-Divisional Engineer of Roads and Highways Department, said that tenders are under process to solve the problems in all parts of the road. Work will start soon.
Superintendent of Police of Kishoreganj Mohammad Russell Sheikh said, we are trying to create public awareness through bit policing activities to prevent accidents. Strict action is being taken to enforce the law on vehicles without fitness, driver's license and other issues. Also, the concerned authorities have been requested to repair the roads, install road signs, mark the accident places and make divisions.
