Construction of 4-km paver block road begins

Raiganj: The long-awaited construction of a 4-kilometre paver block concrete road from Titiha to Kachua in the Itahar Police Station area of North Dinajpur district has finally begun. Musaraf Hossain, MLA of Itahar, laid the foundation stone for the project on Thursday evening. The road is being built with a Rs 3 crore fund from the North Bengal Development Department.

For years, this crucial stretch connecting Titiha of Kapatia Gram Panchayat to Kachua of Marnai Gram Panchayat was in a dilapidated condition, causing immense hardship to locals. More than 30,000 residents from 24 villages, including Titiha, Kapatia, Sardia, Chandanpur, Jamalpur, Gauripur and Kachua, use this road daily to reach Itahar town. The poor condition of the road had made it difficult for fire brigades and ambulances to reach the villages, severely affecting emergency services. Patients and students were among the worst affected.

Local resident Javed Ali of Kachua expressed his relief over the commencement of the project, stating: “We have been appealing to the Gram Panchayat and Zilla Parishad for nearly 15 years for the reconstruction of this road. At last, with the initiative of MLA Musaraf Hossain, the road is finally being built. We are happy with this development.”

MLA Musaraf Hossain acknowledged the prolonged struggles of the villagers, saying: “This road remained in bad shape for more than 20 years. Responding to the locals’ long-standing demand, we approached the North Bengal Development Department, which approved a Rs 3 crore fund for the project. The work has begun and we expect it to be completed within the next three months.”