Panam City no longer a thrill for visitors; blame goes to battered roads

Panam City, an attractive tourist spot in Sonargaon, and Bangladesh Folk Art & Craft Foundation here are losing attraction due to the dilapidated condition of roads in the areas.

Visiting the areas, the UNB correspondent recently found big and small potholes and stagnant water on the roads making the movement of local people as well as tourists very troublesome one.

Potholes filled with rainwater were seen just 100 yards of the main gate of the Bangladesh Folk Art & Craft Foundation.

Locals alleged that a company named “Western Constructions and Shipbuilders” completed the renovation work with substandard materials barely five months back.

The roads of this important tourist zone get waterlogged even after a little rain, causing immense sufferings to local people and tourists, including those from abroad, they said.

They blamed poor drainage system in the area for the water logging.

“Lack of proper and regular maintenance works has made the roads dilapidated and vulnerable,” Najmul Hasan, a resident of Sonargaon upazila.

Deputy Director of the Bangladesh Folk Art & Craft Foundation Rabiul Islam said it was an embarrassing situation when a 50-member delegation of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) recently visited the Panam City and the Foundation enduring all the troubles on the shabby roads.

Contacted, Additional Deputy Engineer of Narayanganj Roads Division Motiar Rahman said the road remains waterlogged for the lack of proper drainage system. “Relevant authorities have been contacted to solve the problem and fix the road quickly,” he added.

Panam City, an ancient historical city, is one of the most visited tourist spots in Bangladesh.

Among the three cities of boro nagar (big city), Panam City was the most attractive one. There are many historical buildings which were built centuries ago and those are related to the history of Baro-Bhuiyan. It covered a 20-km area of Sonargaon.

The Bangladesh Folk Arts and Crafts Foundation is a government foundation that is responsible for the preservation of; and arranging training programmes on arts and crafts.