Rangamati-Ctg road link likely to reopen in 3 days

The road communications between Rangamati, the hill town badly damaged by last week's landslides, and port city of Chittagong is likely to be restored from Tuesday, according to sources in Bangladesh Army.  Engineering corps of Bangladesh Army and Roads and Highways Department have already established transport communications for small vehicles from Ghagra to Sapchhari and Sapchhari to Manikchori.
However, the transport movement is being disrupted as about 100 metre road at Sapchhari has been totally destroyed because of Sunday's devastating landslides. Visiting the site, this correspondent yesterday found that the army and RHD people are working in full swing to rebuild the demolished part of the road at Sapchhari to reconnect the two parts and ensure smooth movement of vehicles.
“Now, we are working to rebuild the totally collapsed part of the road at Sapchhari that virtually cut communication between Chittagong and Rangamati. We will work for three days from June 17-19 and the transport movement will begin from June 20 (Tuesday),” said Major Md Sahriar Iftekhar, second in command of 19 Engineering Construction Battalion of Bangladesh Army.
Sources, however, said that movements of heavy vehicles might not be allowed until the repair of the seriously affected road from Ghagra to Manikchori is completed. Earlier, Bangladesh Army and Roads and Highways Department cleared two sides of the road from Ghagra to Sapchhari and Sapchhari to Manikchori for movement of small vehicles by removing tonnes of landslide debris from the road during the last few days.
 Rangamati has been virtually cut off from other districts of the country following the landslides that left at least 113 persons killed
only in Rangamati and made thousands other homeless.
Businessmen in Rangamati have been incurring losses due to lack of transport communications to other districts.
Talking to this correspondent, Md Belayet Hossain Bhuiyan (Belal), president of Rangamati Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said seasonal fruits in the hill district were rotting as the landslides cut off transport links.
“It needs time to determine the losses of businessmen due to the landslide. But I think, the they are incurring a loss of about Tk 50,00,000 everyday as they cannot transport fruits to other districts,” he said.
Belayet said their main demand was the immediate restoration of road communications.
He further said owners and workers of buses and trucks are also passing through a bad time as they had no work and earnings.
Deputy commissioner Manjurul Mannan yesterday held a meeting with business community leaders and sought their cooperation to keep the price of essential commodities under control.
Meanwhile, the district administration has established launch service from Rangamati to Kaptai to use it as an alternative route to move to other places.
Besdies, electricity supply has been partially restored from a Khagrachori power line. Executive magistrate Ikhtiaruddin Arafat said they managed to bring huge quantities of fuel oil through waterways via Kaptai to meet the demand in the town.
He said four mobile teams were also working to monitor market prices.
The control room in-charge said the total death figure in Rangamati stood at 113 and rescue operations had been wrapped up around Friday midnight.

Rangamati-Ctg road link likely to reopen in 3 days

The road communications between Rangamati, the hill town badly damaged by last weeks landslides, and port city of Chittagong is likely to be restored from Tuesday, according to sources in Bangladesh Army. Engineering corps of Bangladesh Army and Roads and Highways Department have already established transport communications for small vehicles from Ghagra to Sapchhari and Sapchhari to Manikchori. However, the transport movement is being disrupted as about 100 metre road at Sapchhari has been totally destroyed because of Sundays devastating landslides. Visiting the site, this correspondent yesterday found that the army and RHD people are working in full swing to rebuild the demolished part of the road at Sapchhari to reconnect the two parts and ensure smooth movement of vehicles. Now, we are working to rebuild the totally collapsed part of the road at Sapchhari that virtually cut communication between Chittagong and Rangamati. We will work for three days from June 17-19 and the transport movement will begin from June 20 (Tuesday), said Major Md Sahriar Iftekhar, second in command of 19 Engineering Construction Battalion of Bangladesh Army. Sources, however, said that movements of heavy vehicles might not be allowed until the repair of the seriously affected road from Ghagra to Manikchori is completed. Earlier, Bangladesh Army and Roads and Highways Department cleared two sides of the road from Ghagra to Sapchhari and Sapchhari to Manikchori for movement of small vehicles by removing tonnes of landslide debris from the road during the last few days. Rangamati has been virtually cut off from other districts of the country following the landslides that left at least 113 persons killed only in Rangamati and made thousands other homeless. Businessmen in Rangamati have been incurring losses due to lack of transport communications to other districts. Talking to this correspondent, Md Belayet Hossain Bhuiyan (Belal), president of Rangamati Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said seasonal fruits in the hill district were rotting as the landslides cut off transport links. It needs time to determine the losses of businessmen due to the landslide. But I think, the they are incurring a loss of about Tk 50,00,000 everyday as they cannot transport fruits to other districts, he said. Belayet said their main demand was the immediate restoration of road communications. He further said owners and workers of buses and trucks are also passing through a bad time as they had no work and earnings. Deputy commissioner Manjurul Mannan yesterday held a meeting with business community leaders and sought their cooperation to keep the price of essential commodities under control. Meanwhile, the district administration has established launch service from Rangamati to Kaptai to use it as an alternative route to move to other places. Besdies, electricity supply has been partially restored from a Khagrachori power line. Executive magistrate Ikhtiaruddin Arafat said they managed to bring huge quantities of fuel oil through waterways via Kaptai to meet the demand in the town. He said four mobile teams were also working to monitor market prices. The control room in-charge said the total death figure in Rangamati stood at 113 and rescue operations had been wrapped up around Friday midnight.