The repair works of a 13-km road in Bishwanath, an upazila of Sylhet, has now gone on for one-and-half years. Not only is the repair project incomplete - serious questions remain over the quality of work that has been completed.  At present work on the repair project has come to a standstill, with about half the 13-km road stretching from Bishwanath GC to the edge of Jagannathpur repaired (for what it's worth). Numerous potholes can be seen on the other half of the road.  Heavy showers cause waterlogging in the road making it even more dilapidated and causing untold sufferings to pedestrians in particular, who frequent this route. The authorities approved the repair project on December 17, 2019. The contractor Shaon Enterprise got the tender with an allocation close to Tk 23.47 crore.  RCC slab casting, a form of concrete casting, was estimated to be needed on about 18 m in different parts of the 13.09 km road. Also read: Thousands suffer as road turns unfit within a year of renovation in Sunamganj However, the contractor took six months from the approval to start the work - among other things, the pandemic caused delays.  After working for a few days, they stopped working for another 3-4 months due to personal reasons. In this situation, when the tender was about to be cancelled, the contractor shifted the responsibility of the repair work to his other associates. The locals said, "If the work had started on time, we would not have suffered. As half of the road remained incomplete, the road has become more dilapidated due to waterlogging caused by monsoon rains. Potholes are everywhere on the road." Also read: Waterlogged Fatullah Stadium unfit for cricket There are also many defects in the completed part of the road. At present, the work has been in limbo for six-to-eight weeks. In this situation, there is uncertainty about the rest of the repair work.  

The condition of the roads in Cox's Bazar city, including bypasses and alleyways, has been ravaged with the arrival of the monsoon season. Potholes are everywhere on the roads. During the monsoon, these fragile roads become muddy. The roads are so dilapidated that you hardly find a spot to land your feet firmly, let alone drive a vehicle. The city's residents are facing extreme sufferings. The Cox's Bazar Development Authority has dug a 3-4 feet trench where eventually there will be the completely relaid main road of Cox's Bazar municipal town. Movement of passenger buses and other vehicles on this old 5 km road is barred. No heavy vehicles can enter this road from outside the city. Due to the dilapidated condition of the road, people cannot even walk. Abul Kashem, a businessman on the city's Hospital Road, fell 3-feet-deep into the trench during construction and broke his leg. He was bedridden for three months. He said, "Looking at the condition of the road, it seems that the city dwellers have committed a sin so they are suffering in hell today. I have never seen any road development work without leaving a space for pedestrins anywhere on the road. For example I have seen before that development work was done on one side of the road leaving the other side free for commuting. Now I see the whole road has been dug." Meanwhile, Cox's Bazar Municipality has started construction of new roads for the last one and half years. Simultaneously, 29 roads and bypasses of the city were demolished and drainage work was started. Construction of all the drains has not been completed even in a year and a half. As a result, every road has remains unpaved. These roads have become unsuitable for vehicular traffic. People are not able to move freely. There is no place to step on any street in the city during this monsoon. Also read: Thousands suffer as road turns unfit within a year of renovation in Sunamganj On June 9, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali MP at a workshop at Hotel Shaibal in Cox's Bazar said such a fragile condition of the roads in the tourist city could not have been imagined. "Nowhere else in Bangladesh is there such a miserable condition of the road on the way from the airport. It is necessary to develop the road quickly so that there is no misconception among the domestic and foreign tourists," he lamented. Cox's Bazar Municipality Executive Engineer Md. Nurul Alam said Cox's Bazar Municipality started construction of 29 roads and bypasses a year and a half ago. The construction work spanning 32 km over the 29 roads has not been completed yet. It is being implemented with World Bank funding under the Municipal Governance and Services Project (MGSP) and UGP-3 project of the Local Government Department. The cost of this project is estimated at around Tk. 500 crore. Also read: People suffering due to dilapidated road in Munshiganj