DHUBRI, Oct 14 - Residents of Dhubri, particularly people living in ward no. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are not only suffering due to the deplorable condition of the Station Road, but they are also accusing the Public Works Department (PWD) of negligence of duty and failure to improve the condition of the road since many years.
The Station Road, situated in the heart of Dhubri town, is the only road connecting Dhubri Railway Station and Bow Bazar. It is also a major road that helps the commuters from major parts of the town area to reach Dhubri Civil Hospital, BN College and many important offices and educational institutions located in the Colleges Road, Mission Road and Jhagrarpar area. And the commuters from Dhrmasala, Chandakhol, Motichar, Colleges Road, Mission Road and Jhagrarpar area use this road to visit the markets of Dhubri town, government offices, including the office of the Deputy Commissioner and the court. Besides, thousands of families from ward no. 9 and ward no. 10 have no other option but to use this road, which is full of potholes.
Talking to this correspondent, people from ward no. 9 and 10 said that this important road has always been neglected by the administration. �We don�t even remember, when we last saw this road in a good condition! Every year, just before Durga Puja and Eid, the administration just mends the potholes with earth fillings, which get washed away within weeks, leaving us with not only a poor road but also a sandy road during dry days and a muddy road during rainy days,� said Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee, a member of Seven Star Club, ward no. 10, which organises the historic puja at Welcome area.
He added that only due to the poor condition of the road, the footfall in this historic puja celebration has gone down. He also added that it has been an age-old tradition of Dhubri town to take out a rally along with the Durga idols on the day of Vijaya Dashami before immersion, at most parts of Dhubri town including Station Road. But due to the pathetic condition of the road, the devotees are facing immense problems.
�Even kutcha roads in rural areas are better for communication that the Station Road,� said Ramjan Mollah, a resident of ward no. 9. He added that due to the poor condition of the road, accidents are common.
PWD officials, however, said that they have already made allotment for repair works along with construction of drains in both sides of the road to a contractor, under which both the Station Road and Mission Road will be reconstructed. PWD officials also claim that after completion of construction works, the roads will be of very high quality. But due to some technical difficulties, construction work has been temporarily discontinued.
People of this area, however, feel that the PWD officials are giving lame excuses for the delay in construction works. �Renovation work started on October 2018 and after digging some areas for drain construction, the work was abruptly stopped without any rhyme and reason,� said Kazi Mahmadul Hassan, a resident of ward no. 10 and a member of Dhubri District Congress Committee.
He alleged that there is some corruption going on as far as reconstruction of Station Road is concerned and, because of this, the construction was stopped abruptly.
