Staff Reporter:
Illegal Nachiman, sand-laden drum trucks and Bhatovati are plying freely on various roads, including regional roads in Sadarpur Upazila of Faridpur. Although steps have been taken to stop them several times, they have not been effective in practice. Even after the ban, these banned vehicles are still plying under everyone's noses. For unknown reasons, these illegal vehicles are not being stopped. This is increasing the number of deaths and injuries along with road accidents.
Apart from this, the life of the rural people is threatened by illegal traffic on the roads. Although these tractors are bought to cultivate the land, some unscrupulous profiteers or brick kiln owners are making vehicles and using them for digging the soil. On the one hand, the fertility of the cropland is being lost, on the other hand, crop production is decreasing day by day due to the depletion of topsoil. The roads are being damaged due to the movement of these vehicles. Small and big accidents are happening constantly.
On Sunday evening, February 2, a Nasimon driver named Sanjay Darani (24) died in a head-on collision between a Nasimon and a Mahindra on the Sadarpur to Atrashi regional road. On January 21, a college student named Asif Khan (19) died in a head-on collision between a battery-powered auto-rickshaw and a motorcycle on the Sadarpur to Krishnapur regional road. On December 4 last year, a man named Asraful Alam Ashiq died in a motorcycle accident on the Sadarpur to Pukhuria regional road. On September 21, a man named Aslam Sheikh (22) died in a head-on collision between a motorcycle and a truck on the Sadarpur to Krishnapur regional road. On August 7, a young man named Shaon Khan (20) died and two others were seriously injured in a head-on collision between a motorcycle and a Nasimon on the Piazkhali to Manikotha regional road. Apart from this, many people have lost their lives in Sadarpur upazila in numerous road accidents in the past years.
It is known that these illegal vehicle drivers have no skills and stop wherever they are. They suddenly take a U-turn. This leads to more accidents. Due to which road accidents have also taken a terrible form. Fresh lives are lost every day. Many have been crippled in accidents. Such vehicles are largely responsible for frequent accidents and loss of life. Traffic congestion is constantly increasing due to these illegal vehicles. Roads are collapsing due to the uncontrolled movement of these vehicles. As a result, roads worth crores of taka of the government are being destroyed.
Jahangir Alam, a businessman in Sadarpur Bazar, said, "Due to inefficient drivers and illegal vehicles, it takes 10 to 15 minutes to travel from the road in front of Sadarpur Bazar to the College Intersection on a 2-minute road. Sometimes it takes 20 to 25 minutes due to excessive traffic jams. Many easy bikes are now plying on the road. These easy bikes do not wait at a specific stand, but wait on both sides of the road and the drivers pick and drop passengers on the road. The road is now occupied by easy bikes, drum trucks, Nasimons and Bhatovti. We are seeking the intervention of the administration in this regard."
Munshi Ishrat Hossain, former joint convener of Sadarpur Upazila Jubo Dal, said,
In Sadarpur, every brick kiln owner collects soil from different areas by loading drum trucks and kilns and takes this soil to their brick kilns using the main roads of the upazila. While taking this soil in trucks, a lot of soil falls on the road. Later, when it rains a little, this soil that remains on the road turns into mud. This mud causes problems on the road and terrible road accidents occur due to slipping on this soil. The brick kiln owners do not take any action in this regard.
Achiron Bibi, a resident of Dheukhali Union, said, "Sand-laden trucks are always passing through the road in front of our house day and night. The sand in these trucks is kept open. When this sand is taken by truck, our houses and furniture are filled with dust. We cannot sleep properly due to the noise of these trucks moving all night. Not only that,
We are very scared when we drive on the road in front of our house. Who knows when these trucks will run us over.
In this regard, Sadarpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. A. Motaleb Hossain said, "We are conducting regular operations to stop illegal vehicles. We have already seized 12 drum trucks loaded with soil and brought them to the police station. Regular cases have been filed against these trucks. Our operations to stop illegal traffic are continuing."
Tanvir Tuhin
Staff Reporter
