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Download PDF The dilapidated Jessore-Benapole highway, one of the most important roads for trade between Bangladesh and India, has turned hazardous to hundreds of motor vehicles.
The highway that plays a vital role in the economy of the region by linking adjacent districts did not undergo any major repair work in the last five years, complained locals.
Several hundred trucks loaded with goods to and from India and as many buses carrying hundreds of tourists ply this treacherous highway everyday.
The government of Bangladesh earns around Tk 1500 crore from Benapole land port, according to officials at Benapole customs office.
Hafizur Rahman, vice president of Benapole Transport Owners Association, told The Daily Star that the rundown highway causes delays in goods transportation, resulting in losses to both transport owners and traders.
More importantly, transport workers and travellers are often sustaining injuries as the road is full of craters and potholes, he added.
The authorities cover up a few of the potholes haphazardly whenever newspapers run reports on the state of the poorly maintained highway, Rahman alleged adding that this sort of repair work is not suitable to withstand the heavy traffic on the highway.
Abdur Rahim, sub-divisional engineer of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in Jessore, said the repair work of the highway is expected to commence by the end of this month.
A delegation from United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific during a visit to Benapole land port in April last year recommended that the Jessore-Benapole highway should be included in the proposed Asian Highway.
Once the Asian Highway is implemented, travel distance between Dhaka and Benapole would be reduced by around 100 kilometres, said RHD officials.
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