Road to Balaganj Hospital Becomes a Death Trap After Years of Neglect
The only road leading to Balaganj Upazila Health Complex in Sylhet has become a death trap due to more than five years of neglect and lack of repairs. No authority has taken responsibility for the 400-metre road, forcing pregnant women, elderly people, children, emergency patients, critically ill patients, doctors and nurses to travel along it at great risk.
In some cases, women have given birth on the road before reaching the hospital. Vehicles frequently overturn, injuring passengers. The daily suffering continues without any visible solution. A visit to the area revealed that parts of the road have asphalt, while other sections have none. During rain, the road becomes covered with water and mud. Constant pressure from vehicle wheels has turned the existing potholes into larger craters.
The damaged road stretches from the zero point of Balaganj Bazar to the upazila health complex. Severe jolts during the journey can worsen the condition of critically ill patients. The numerous potholes have also made ambulance movement difficult, prompting urgent calls for repairs.
An investigation found that the Upazila Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) office has no records of the 400-metre road. The road also has no identification number in the office’s records. As a result, many people have described it as an “orphan road” with no authority to look after it. LGED officials have acknowledged that the road has neither a file nor an identification number.
Local residents allege that negligence and a lack of responsibility among public representatives and upazila LGED officials have left the road in a neglected condition for years. They questioned how such an important road serving a hospital could have no official records or identification number.
Local residents and market traders said numerous businesses operate along both sides of the road. The commercial zone around the zero point plays an important role in Balaganj’s economy. However, the road’s poor condition has discouraged customers from visiting Balaganj East Market. Transport costs for shop goods have increased because of the damaged road, causing substantial losses for traders. They warned that local businesses could suffer a serious downturn if the road is not repaired quickly.
Dr Mamun Ahmed, a medical officer at the upazila health complex, told Inqilab, “The condition of the road in front of the 50-bed hospital is terrible. Thousands of patients come here every day for treatment, and they suffer greatly. We are the ones who face the most difficulties on this road. For a long time, we have been hearing that it will be repaired, but for some unexplained reason, it has not happened.”
Asked about the matter, Balaganj Upazila LGED Engineer Rafiqul Islam said a decision had been made to repair the road through a Project Implementation Committee (PIC), using revenue funds of the Upazila Parishad, as the road is not listed under an official identification number.
