Municipal authority covers 20 years of garbage with sand ahead of PM's visit

Ahead of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to Kishoreganj, the municipal authority has covered a massive pile of garbage accumulated over the past 20 years along a roadside with sand. While locals have long suffered from severe stench and environmental pollution caused by the dumping site, swift cleanup measures were undertaken specifically in anticipation of the Prime Minister's tour.

A visit to the Khilpara area along the Kishoreganj-Bhairab regional highway revealed that a roughly one-kilometer-long stretch of waste heaps alongside the road had been covered with a layer of sand on Saturday (August 15). Similar sand-covering measures were also applied to a garbage dump near the Katiadi bus stand.

According to concerned sources, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to visit Kishoreganj on Sunday (August 16), and his motorcade is expected to use this highway while entering Kishoreganj town. The emergency covering of the waste heaps was executed with his itinerary in mind.

Local sources reported that for nearly two decades, municipal waste from various markets and households has been dumped by trucks in the Khilpara area, creating a massive mound over time. Residents have also complained that medical waste from a local medical college hospital and various clinics was regularly dumped at the same location.

As a result, daily commuters, pedestrians, and thousands of vehicles traveling to and from Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Bhairab have faced severe stench, environmental hazards, and public suffering along the busy thoroughfare.

Residents stated that they had repeatedly urged the municipal authorities over the years to remove the garbage dump permanently, but no substantial action was taken. However, ahead of the Prime Minister's arrival, part of the waste was hauled away while the remainder was concealed beneath sand.

Mahmudul Hasan, a local resident, remarked that despite multiple written and verbal appeals to the municipal authorities to clear the trash, no initiative was taken until now. He noted that covering the waste with sand for the Prime Minister's visit proves the authorities can alleviate public suffering when they want to, though locals understand this is only a temporary fix and demand a permanent solution.

Jebun Nahar Shammi, the designated administrator of Kishoreganj Municipality and Deputy Director of the Local Government Division, stated that the dumping site along the Kishoreganj-Bhairab regional highway is being temporarily covered with sand for the Prime Minister's visit. She added that a permanent project for waste management at the site has been initiated and is expected to launch soon.

Alongside this site, the municipal authority has also initiated cleanup drives to remove accumulated garbage and household waste from the surroundings of various roads throughout the district town.

According to a notification from the Prime Minister's Office, Tarique Rahman will visit Kishoreganj on Sunday to release fish fry in Pakundia at 11:30am as part of National Fisheries Week, and will inaugurate development activities at the historic Sholakia Eidgah Maidan. In the afternoon, the Prime Minister is scheduled to attend an inaugural program for distributing family cards, grants, and honorariums at the Old Stadium field in the district town at 4pm, before departing for Dhaka around 6pm.