Hasnat Abdullah Protests Poor Road Condition by Releasing Fish into Potholes in Kachisair

 Md. Al Amin, Special Correspondent, Debidwar, Cumilla:

Hasnat Abdullah, the Chief Organizer of the Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) in the Southern region, staged a unique protest by releasing fish into the massive potholes on the Debidwar-Chandina regional connecting road at Kachisair Bazar in Debidwar Upazila, Cumilla.

He made the symbolic protest on Friday morning (October 10) during a public outreach campaign in the Kachisair market area of the Upazila.

The Debidwar-Chandina road is vital for the people of this region, as it connects not only the two upazilas but also the Dhaka-Chattogram and Cumilla-Sylhet highways. However, due to a lack of renovation for a long period, the 14.5-kilometer road has become littered with numerous large potholes, making it virtually impassable. Travelers constantly suffer as they navigate the broken, crater-filled road, which fills with standing water after even a little rain. Vehicles are frequently involved in accidents, endangering lives.

Local residents joined Hasnat Abdullah to participate in the protest.

Hasnat Abdullah stated, "People use this road, and a young man died here just a few days ago. If you won't fix the road, it's better to cultivate fish here. If you grow fish, people can at least eat some."

He further remarked, "The roads in Debidwar are in such a terrible state that they are fit for fish farming. You should release native (Deshi) fish here. I'm releasing fish; you all should do the same. If anything comes of it, that will be a success."

The day before, on Thursday (October 9), a 2-minute and 2-second call recording of Hasnat went viral. In the clip, he spoke over the phone with Khandaker Golam Mostafa, the Chief Executive Engineer of the Cumilla Roads and Highways Department (RHD).

In the recording, Hasnat warned that if the renovation of the Debidwar New Market section of the Cumilla-Sylhet highway does not start by October 20, they would block traffic on the highway and plant paddy instead.