Village youth repair road themselves after years of negligence by authorities

The only mud road in Lalmonipur village under Bara Harishpur Union of Natore Sadar upazila has remained unfit for use for many years. Due to years’ of alleged negligence from the authorities, around 50 young villagers have begun repairing the road through voluntary labour.

The initiative, which commenced on Monday, is scheduled to continue until today, Wednesday.

Several villagers told this correspondent that a bamboo bridge spans the Narad River at the midpoint of the road. During the rainy season, the road becomes heavily waterlogged and muddy, rendering it impassable. At such times, residents are forced to walk to the district town.

According to the villagers, election candidates routinely pledge to pave the road during campaign periods, yet those promises are never fulfilled.

Against this backdrop, around 50 young residents gathered on Sunday evening and resolved to make the road passable by laying bricks, sand and brick chips.

They subsequently went from house to house, collecting donations according to each household’s means. The following morning, they used the funds to purchase bricks, sand and brick chips from a nearby brick kiln.

Equipped with baskets and spades collected from every household, they then set about repairing the road.

The work of laying bricks and sand continued throughout the day. By evening, approximately one-third of the road had been covered with bricks, after which the young volunteers resumed fundraising to finance the remainder of the project.

The work also continued on Tuesday. They expressed hope that the entire road would be completed by Wednesday evening.

A visit to Lalmonipur village on Tuesday morning found one group of young volunteers clearing mud from the road with spades, while another spread sand. Others laid bricks and brick chips, working side by side. During breaks, they discussed the next phase of the project, with some singing songs to keep spirits high and relieve the monotony of the work.

“We have received nothing but empty promises. Rather than waiting for others, we decided to spend our own money to buy bricks, sand and brick chips. Young people from every household have come forward to contribute voluntary labour. As a result, the road is now becoming passable, at least for the time being,” Zahid Mehdi, one of the organisers, told Prothom Alo.

He also called on the authorities to replace the bamboo bridge over the Narad River with a permanent concrete bridge.

Natore Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Azahar Ali said the government would also give priority to the construction of the road and bridge in the village.