Local authorities have covered large piles of roadside garbage with sand along the Kishoreganj-Bhairab highway ahead of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s scheduled visit to Kishoreganj on Sunday.
​A visit to the highway on Saturday showed that waste stretched across a one-kilometer area in Khilpara, Kishoreganj Sadar, has been buried under a fresh layer of sand. A similar garbage pile near the Katiadi bus stand on the same route was also covered.
​Zebun Nahar Shammi, deputy director of the Local Government Division and acting administrator of Kishoreganj Municipality, confirmed that the move was arranged for the prime minister’s arrival, as his convoy will use this road to enter the town. Municipal teams are also working to clear trash from inner-city streets and residential areas.
​Local residents noted that municipal trucks had been dumping household, market, and clinic waste at the site for nearly 20 years. The open dumping caused heavy pollution and foul odors along the busy route connecting Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Bhairab.
​While past complaints went unaddressed, workers removed a portion of the trash and buried the remainder under sand over the past week.
​”We appealed to the municipality multiple times, but nothing was done,” said Mahmudul Hasan, a local resident. “Now they quickly covered it for the prime minister. It shows they can act if they want to, but we want a permanent solution.”
​Shammi clarified that the sand covering is only a temporary measure, adding that a permanent waste management project has been planned and will launch in the future.
​According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will visit Pakundia at 11:30 am on Sunday to release fish fry for National Fisheries Fortnight, inaugurate development work at the historic Sholakia Eidgah, and attend a welfare card distribution program at the Old Stadium at 4:00 pm before returning to Dhaka.
Source: The Daily Star
