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By Al Habib
Sunamganj’s main D.S. Road has been widened to nearly twice its previous width, but four electricity poles were left standing in the middle of the newly expanded road, creating a serious safety hazard for commuters.
The poles are located in the Shologhar area, in front of the Water Development Board office, along the section stretching from the district livestock office to the Dhopakhali cremation ground. Local residents, drivers and road safety activists say vehicles frequently crash into the poles, with at least 100 accidents reportedly occurring over the past one and a half years.
D.S. Road runs from Alfate Square, the heart of Sunamganj town, through Shologhar to Dharargaon on the bank of the Surma River. The road is used daily by thousands of people from Shologhar, Nabinnagar, Dhopakhali, parts of Kurbannagar Union and several unions in Sunamganj Sadar and Dowarabazar upazilas.
The road section was widened in late 2024. However, four electricity poles were left in place in front of the Water Development Board office.
Residents said one of the four poles stands almost directly in the middle of the road, forcing drivers to suddenly change direction and increasing the risk of collisions.
Local resident Abbas Ali said the poles should have been removed before the road was widened.
“Four poles were left on the road while the widening work was completed. The pole in front of the Water Development Board office is particularly dangerous, and accidents happen there repeatedly,” he said.
Tajul Islam of Dharargaon said he once saw an autorickshaw overturn after hitting an electricity pole on the road.
“The passengers escaped serious injury because the vehicle was moving slowly. Removing the poles would make the road much safer,” he said.
Rickshaw driver Nur Mohammad said several drivers he knows have had their vehicles damaged in accidents at the Shologhar section because of the poles.
Battery-run autorickshaw driver Zilkat Mia said drivers coming from Dharargaon or Nabinnagar suddenly encounter the poles after negotiating a bend near the Dhopakhali cremation ground.
“The poles appear unexpectedly in the middle of the road, putting drivers in danger,” he said.
Development worker Salehin Chowdhury Shuvo criticised the authorities for widening one of the busiest roads in the municipality without removing the poles.
“Millions of people from the town and surrounding areas use this road. Leaving electricity poles in the middle of the road while widening it shows extreme negligence,” he said.
Mohammad Nur, organising secretary of the Sunamganj district unit of Nirapad Sarak Chai, said drivers were suffering regular financial losses because of the poles.
“According to local residents, at least 100 accidents have occurred in the past one and a half years. We have spoken to both authorities, but they are shifting responsibility onto each other,” he said.
Sunamganj Municipality Executive Engineer Kali Krishna Pal said four electricity poles fell within the road alignment during the widening work.
“We have sent several letters to the electricity department requesting the removal of the poles,” he said.
According to him, the municipality could not pay the estimated cost proposed by the electricity department because it was higher than the amount allocated for the work. He said the issue had recently been discussed with the current executive engineer of the electricity department, who assured him that the poles would be removed soon.
Meanwhile, Russell Ahmad, executive engineer of the Bangladesh Power Development Board’s Sunamganj Sales and Distribution Division, said the municipality had been informed about the cost of removing the poles before the road-widening work began.
“But the municipality hurriedly completed the road concreting work. Later, the poles could not be relocated because the necessary budget for shifting them or constructing a new line was unavailable,” he said.
Ahmad said the electricity department was ready to remove the poles in the public interest and would take action as soon as the required funds were provided.