The road shoulders or ‘shoulders’ on both sides of the main part of the highway are not just a matter of beautification; they are essentially a very important technical part for stopping vehicles in a safe place in case of emergency, removing vehicles involved in accidents and ensuring overall safety of the road. Its role in maintaining the stability of the road is also undeniable. However, illegal sawmill business and commercial crop cultivation are freely taking over that shoulder of the important Baneshwar-Iswardi regional highway in Rajshahi. In some places, turmeric, ginger, banana and papaya, and in others, artificial bushes have been created by cultivating Napier grass that exceeds the height of a person. Heavy wooden logs are piled on both sides. As a result, the opportunity to move vehicles to a safe distance in an emergency is closed, and the drivers’ vision is obstructed on the bends, which is constantly causing fatal accidents. Even in the dark of night, robbers have become active, using these bushes as safe havens.

The work to upgrade this 54-kilometer road, which is one of the most important roads connecting Rajshahi with the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and the southern part of the country, to a regional highway began in 2020. The construction work was completed in early 2024 with an initial cost of about Tk 554 crore and an additional allocation of about Tk 100 crore for land acquisition and other infrastructure. Although thousands of vehicles, including heavy vehicles, ply on this route every day, just two years after the road was opened, the government road shoulder worth crores of taka has been taken over by locals.

According to official statistics from the Charghat and Bagha Upazila Health Complex, 4,249 people were injured in road accidents in the last one year on the 38-km stretch of the highway under Charghat and Bagha Upazilas. At least 28 people lost their lives in these two upazilas during the same period. According to locals, due to lack of space on the shoulder, vehicles are parked on the main road to load and unload wood or goods, resulting in regular collisions with oncoming vehicles. On June 27, around 8 pm, a teenager named Rafiul Ehsan (15) died on the spot after being hit by a wood-laden trolley standing on the road in the Rawtha Nurul Battala area while returning home from Bagha by auto-rickshaw. Earlier, on November 7, three friends named Tuhin Ali (25), Maruf Ali (18) and Shimul Ali (25) on a motorcycle lost their lives in a head-on collision with an oncoming ambulance while crossing a goods truck standing on the road in the Shibpur area.

Truck driver Moksed Ali and teacher Fazlur Rahman from Mirganj area of ​​Bagha said that due to the abundant production of mangoes and agricultural products in the Charghat-Bagha region, hundreds of trucks have to be loaded and unloaded. Due to the vacant shoulders, the trucks are parked directly on the main road, resulting in constant chaos and accidents on this busy two-lane road.

In addition to the horrific accident, the dense bushes on both sides of the road are now a permanent source of fear for local commuters and businessmen. At night, robbers suddenly come out from behind the Napier grass forest and banana plantations with country-made weapons, block vehicles and loot everything. Manik Islam, a garment trader from Shalua village, said that around 11:30 pm, while he was on his way to Baneshwar from Pabna with goods, three robbers came out from the Napier grass at the Charghat Fire Service intersection, blocked his path and robbed him of goods worth several lakhs of taka. In addition, in the Taltala area, the motorcycle of first-class contractor Abdul Awal was hit and thrown into the grass and banana plantations on the side of the road and looted from him. Local businessman Shamim Islam also said that he has been the victim of such robbery attempts more than once.

On-site investigation has shown that at least 21 sawmills have been set up along the highway in Charghat and Bagha upazilas. Most of these establishments do not have permits from the relevant authorities and are occupying the government shoulders and the edges of the main road and piling up heavy timber. Large trucks are parked directly on the main road for hours on end to transport timber, resulting in severe traffic congestion on this two-lane highway. However, Tariq Hossain, owner of Twister Furniture and Sawmill, and Zakaria, owner of Zakaria Sawmill, said that it was not right to keep timber on the shoulders of the highway and that they would quickly remove the timber on their own responsibility even though they were not aware of the notice from the Forest Department.

Charghat Upazila Teachers’ Committee President and Holidagachi Girls’ High School Principal Jahangir Hossain said that shoulder encroachment on a busy two-lane highway is a major threat to road safety; it reduces the driver’s field of vision and leaves no alternative place to pass in an emergency. Charghat Upazila Forest Officer Mahbubur Rahman said that although the sawmill owners were evicted through notices and raids several times, they later encroached on the shoulder again; coordinated action will be taken against them soon. Many people like Abdul Hannan, a farmer from Naodara area, claim that they have cultivated papaya and grass as there is empty space on the side of the road and there is no cattle nuisance, but the administration has never banned them. Safe Road Movement Charghat Upazila Branch President Saiful Islam said that allowing cultivation or business opportunities on a highway built at a cost of hundreds of crores of taka without ensuring safety is an extreme threat to public life.

Law enforcement and road safety officials are also acknowledging the seriousness of the problem. Charghat Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mahabubur Rahman said that it is easier for the police to ensure security and conduct patrols if both sides of the road are open, but it becomes difficult to identify the location of criminals due to bushes. The matter has been informed to the Road Department. On the other hand, Abdul Mannaf Akand, Sub-Divisional Engineer of the Road and Highways Department (SOH), Rajshahi, said that the issue of increasing accidents due to encroachment on the road shoulder of Baneshwar-Iswardi road for cultivation and creation of bushes has come to their attention. A final deadline is being set for the encroachers to remove these at their own risk without delay; if the obstacles are not removed within the specified time, a strict eviction drive will be conducted as per the government law and the entire road shoulder will be cleared.