Khulna: Crumbling Key Roads Worsen Public Suffering, Raise Accident Risks

Asafur Rahman Kajal, Khulna

Tourist spots in the Khulna region are getting ready for a five day holiday for Durga Puja that starts later this week. Many people plan to travel with their families. The Sundarbans and other spots are growing busy, but an order to close 18 resorts in Dakop upazila near the Sundarbans and remove their structures has created doubt. Bad roads at the city entrance and on a few key routes also raise fears of trouble for tourists.

The Sundarbans is one of the main tourist draws in the Khulna region. It is the largest mangrove forest in the world and the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger. Local and foreign tourists show interest in it every year. Karamjal tourist centre, Katka, Hiron Point and Dublar Char are special draws for visitors.

Resorts and tourist spots around the Sundarbans saw a rush of early bookings for the long holiday. But the order from the Department of Environment has worried resort owners in Dakop. Tourists who booked early are also anxious.

Concerned people say the place needs enough rooms, food and transport to handle the extra holiday crowd. If the closure order takes effect, tourists may have to change their stay plans. Their travel plans may suffer, and the traders may face money losses.

Besides the Sundarbans, Khulna and nearby areas have many sites of history, heritage and nature. The Rabindra Complex stands at Dakshindihi in Fultala. It grew around the ancestral home of Ms. Mrinalini Devi, wife of Mr. Rabindranath Tagore. Visitors know it well for its culture and history.

Travellers can also enjoy the view of the river from the Khan Jahan Ali Bridge, also called the Rupsha Bridge, over the Rupsha river. The Khulna Divisional Museum holds ancient items, old coins and many things of local heritage. The grave of Birsreshtho martyr Mr. Ruhul Amin, a naval engineer, lies in Bagmara of Rupsha. The ancestral home of the noted scientist Mr. Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy stands in Rarulli union of Paikgachha.

Padmabil in Bhutia of Terkhada draws visitors in the rainy season with its water, water lilies and lotus flowers. People expect more visitors at these places during the puja holiday. But the poor state of roads has become a big worry for travel to Khulna in the tourist season.

People say parts of the Khulna Nawapara road, the Satkhira Khulna highway, the link road near the Rupsha Bridge and the Rupsha Shipyard road are unfit for travel after years without repair. Vehicles slow down on these roads, and jams and accident risks grow. When more vehicles use these roads during the long holiday, the suffering may grow. Families on trips, long distance passengers and tourism transport traders may feel the effect most. Poor roads may also raise fears about reaching a place on time.

People in tourism say a region needs safe and smooth travel along with sights and places to stay. They say officials must take real steps to repair roads, keep traffic moving and end the doubt about rooms for the holiday crowd.

The long puja holiday creates hope for the tourism sector in Khulna. But the closure order for 18 resorts in Dakop and the poor state of key roads block that hope. If officials do not solve these problems before the holiday, tourists’ travel plans may suffer and local tourism business may take a hit.