Although road development activities are visible in some areas of Chatmohar, there are still some villages where lack of paved roads has halted the development.
Some villages of Nimaichara, Chaikola and Handial Union of Chatmohar are deprived of any sort of development.
From the new village of Handial Union to Charnabin, Langalmora, Bardanagar, Binya Bari, Gournagar-Karkola to Mirzapur, about ten kilometers of rural high and low unpaved road has seen no improvement. Of these ten kilometers of roads, a couple of kilometers of the roads consist of HBB but the rest of the road is still unpaved.
The river Gumani flows past six villages. Although a bridge has been constructed at Chaikola Ghat, there is no bridge for the people of Langalmora, Bardanagar, Binyabari and Gournagar villages to cross the river. As the Upazila Sadar is on the other side of the river, the people of these villages have to travel by boat in the rainy season and across through bamboo bridges in the dry season.
Bablur Rahman, a resident of Langalmora village, said that the road from Nabin village of Handial union to Charanbin-Bardanagar of Chaikola union and Gournagar-Karkola of Nimaichara union to Mirzapur has not been paved.
“The few roads became impossible to pass. Rickshaws, vans, CNG driven auto rickshaws, buses, and trucks do not move on this road. We have to travel on foot,” he said.
There are several primary schools in the area including Charanbeen Hamida Mumtaz Technical School and College, Charanbeen Madrasa, Langalmora High School, Bardanagar Madrasa, Bilchalon High School etc. Hundreds of students have to walk through these roads to reach their schools, he added.
“In the dry season, the road is muddy for about six months of the year, adding to its difficulty to travel on foot. At that time students and common people had to travel to destinations with indescribable difficulty,” he said.
He further said that paving of the road is essential for the economic and social development of the area.
Arman Hossain of Nabin village said, there is no road to walk in the village. The unpaved roads also get submerged in the rainy season. Then boat is the only hope of movement. “A few months ago, a video of a patient being taken to the hospital with indescribable pain in a bamboo fence went viral on social media. However, there is no sign of any road there even today,” he said.
Acting principal of Charanbeen Hamida Mumtaz Technical School and College Akram Hossain, Ratan Hossain of Bardanagar village, Shahinur Rahman Ripon of Binya Bari village, Zia of Gournagar village and Khitish Chandra Das of Korkola village and others said that no development work is taking place in this area.
Due to the lack of paved roads and the obstruction of the river, people are often unable to take patients and the expectant mothers to the hospital in an urgency.
They have demanded the construction of at least two bridges at Bardanagar and Binya Bari ferry terminals, including paving the road on an emergency basis.
Sultan Mahmud, an upazila engineer working in Chatmohar, said the road from Chaikola to Mirzapur GC Road via Bardanagar-Langalmora is very important. However, this road has not been included in the project yet.
“The road could be built if the project is implemented. The 12-kilometer-long road has been paved on the west bank of the river in the village of Chaikola for a long time,” he said.
