Bayazid Bostami-Faujdarhat link road closed due to landslide

Abdul Mamun, Sitakunda Mobile Representative:

The Bayezid Bostami-Faujdarhat link road in Chittagong district has been temporarily closed since Tuesday due to fears of landslides. The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), a road construction company, took the decision on Monday. CDA chief engineer Kazi Hassan bin Shams confirmed the closure of the six-kilometer road. Contractor Spectra Engineers has already started the work of creating obstacles on both sides of the road. CDA cut about 15 hills for the construction of connecting road from Bayazid Bostami to Fauzdarhat in Chittagong city. These hills were cut vertically. CDA was fined Tk 10 crore by the environment department for cutting down the hill. The hillsides along the road are at risk due to steep cuts. In the meantime, some hills have partially collapsed, leaving one side of the road closed. This time CDA is going to stop the traffic on the whole road. Dhaka-bound vehicles from South Chittagong, Uttar Chittagong and hilly areas have been using this road. Besides, the people of Chittagong use this road to reach the airport, Patenga beach. Now that the road is closed, vehicles have to use the internal roads of Chittagong city. CDA chief engineer Kazi Hassan bin Shams said about five hills along the road were at risk of landslides due to heavy rains, which could lead to major accidents at any time. So the traffic on the road has been stopped for 2 to 3 months. During this time, the mountains will continue to be risk-free.