SYLHET, Aug 27: Launching of a new border haat on Sunamganj district's Dalfabazar border would be delayed as the connecting road is yet to be ready, sources informed.
Sources said, locals demanded immediate completion of the road which would connect the new border haat. The same would help locals travel to neighbouring areas, they said.
Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj Md Abdul Ahad said, "Steps are on to complete the job of link road and others in the coming months. Hopefully the haat would start functioning in December. We are working for that."
Official sources informed, in line with a high-level decision, officials from India and Bangladesh sat at a meeting on Doarabazar border on September 20, 2017.
The then Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner Sabirul Islam and Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district DC PS Dhar were present at that meeting at Baganbari frontier and decided for starting works for the border haat at zero point there.
Accordingly works began. Meanwhile the haat is ready with 12 shops erected on Indian side and 13 on the Bangladesh side. The road link to the Indian part is already complete while it is yet to be done on the Bangladesh part.
Doarabazar upazila's Boglabazar union council chairman Ariful Islam said operation of the much-desired border haat would be delayed as the link road remained incomplete as yet.
So far, work on the 500 metre out of 2700 metre on the Boglabazar-Baganbari road has been done. The rest 2200 metre works are yet to be done while approach road to a bridge collapsed there.
Besides, children of at least three schools, one madrasa and a college have to suffer much due to delay of the road works, the chairman said, adding, "Inhabitants of at least 10 villages suffer for lack of a road."
An official in the LGED said the Boglabazar-Baganbari road project is yet to be approved. "We would start works through bidding as soon as we receive approval," he added.
