Locals suffer as culvert remains inaccessible

A culvert built without approach road in Yusufpur village under Patuakhali's Kalapara upazila remains largely unusable, causing immense sufferings to over 700 families in the locality.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief constructed the 7.5-metre culvert at a cost of Tk 27.80 lakh to restore safe connectivity for villagers after the previous one collapsed.

It is located about two kilometres away from the Kalapara-Kuakata road near the Sonatala river bridge. The culvert was constructed around six months ago, said locals.

"There is no access road to use the culvert for movement. The existing road is in poor condition as well. People from Yusufpur and neighbouring Latifpur , including around 100 students of local schools and madrasas, use this route daily for commute amid much difficulty," said Marjina, a local resident.

Locals Jane Alam and Abdul Latif echoed her.

Residents urged the authorities concerned to construct an approach road for the culvert to eliminate their miseries. The contractor for the culvert's construction could not be reached for comments as his phone was found switched off.

Moksedul Alam, project implementation officer in Kalapara upazila, said steps would soon be taken to build the approach road.