Neglect Leaves Satkhira-Atharo Mile-Khulna Highway in Ruins

The Satkhira-Atharo Mile-Khulna highway is one of the major highways in southwestern Bangladesh. It connects several nearby districts and serves as the main route for millions of people in Paikgacha and Koyra upazilas of Khulna and surrounding areas. Thousands of passenger buses and hundreds of heavy vehicles carrying goods use the highway every day.

Due to a lack of proper repairs, the highway has deteriorated badly, with uneven sections, depressions and potholes across much of the road. Millions of people in Paikgacha, Koyra and other parts of the southwest are facing serious difficulties while travelling.

The Roads and Highways Department has carried out temporary repairs using bricks and sand, but these have failed to ease the problem. Drivers and local residents say accidents are occurring regularly because of the poor road condition. Leaders of the Nirapad Sarak Chai (NISCHA) organization have also said such temporary repairs have little durability and lead to unnecessary government spending. They have called for immediate and sustainable repairs.

30km Section in Poor Condition

Paikgacha and Koyra are important coastal upazilas of Khulna. The Koyra-Paikgacha-Tala regional highway and the Satkhira-Atara Mile-Khulna highway are the main routes for people from these areas, including Tala upazila of Satkhira and several areas near the Sundarbans. At one point, the 30km section from Atharo Mile to Khulna was in good condition, while the 65km Koyra-Atharo Mile regional highway was in poor condition. After widening and straightening several bends, the Koyra-Atharo Mile road became suitable for traffic. However, the important Khulna section has now deteriorated.

The 30km section from Atharo Mile to Chuknagar RCC Road, from the end of the RCC road to Kharnia Bridge in Dumuria, from the bridge to Dumuria, from Dumuria to the Khulna Power Grid, around the Khulna Rural Electricity Office, near the railway crossing and up to the Zero Point RCC Road is in poor condition. The Roads and Highways Department initially used bricks and sand for temporary repairs to keep traffic moving. However, the repairs have not been effective on this busy highway. In some places, the asphalt road has effectively turned into a brick road.

The department is now carrying out repairs in some areas using bitumen and stone chips. Local residents, however, believe such temporary measures will not provide a lasting solution. The condition of the highway has caused increased public suffering and frequent accidents.

Bus driver Abul Kalam Azad said, “We have to travel on the Paikgacha-Khulna route every day, but passengers now do not want to travel by bus because of the poor condition of the highway from Atharo Mile to Khulna. They are choosing smaller vehicles and alternative routes, which has reduced our income significantly.”

Private car driver Mr. Obaidullah said, “From Paikgacha to Atharo Mile, it feels like a highway, but from Atharo Mile to Khulna, it feels like an ordinary road. Most of the highway is in poor condition, causing us a lot of trouble while travelling.” Rezaul Islam, an ambulance driver at Paikgacha Upazila Health Complex, said, “We have to transport patients on this road every day. But the condition of the highway is so bad that the excessive jolting during travel makes patients even more ill.”

Amaresh Kumar Mondal, vice-president of the Khulna District Bus Owners Association, said the distance from Koyra to Khulna is 90km, of which the 30km section from Atara Mile to Khulna is in very poor condition. He said, “The Roads and Highways Department carries out minor repairs, but they are not effective because of the heavy traffic on the road. The uneven surface and potholes damage vehicle parts and cause frequent accidents.”

Elias Hossain, general secretary of the NISCHA Paikgacha upazila branch, said the Khulna highway is one of the most important and busiest roads in southwestern Bangladesh. It is connected to India, Mongla Port and several surrounding roads. He said, “Such an important highway cannot be repaired in a makeshift manner. It provides little benefit apart from wasting government money. Sustainable and permanent repairs are needed to maintain road discipline and ensure safe travel.” He also called for urgent and durable repairs to prevent accidents.

S.M. Asaduzzaman, sub-assistant engineer of the Roads and Highways Department’s Khulna Road Sub-Division-1, said four tenders have already been invited for an RCC pavement project from Khulna Zero Point to Chuknagar. He said all tender procedures have been completed and the concerned contractors are expected to begin work in the first week of October. Once the development project is implemented, most of the highway’s damaged sections are expected to be repaired, he added.