There is a plan to turn this highway into an elevated one and so we have kept 12 feet of island between the highway
- A grower takes care of his vegetable field on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. The photo was taken from Daudkandi in Comilla
Dhaka-Chittagong highway offers a different look as vegetables, like spinach, red spinach and radish, are now being grown on its 12-foot-broad divider at Daudkandi upazila in Comilla.
A total of 10 farmers are growing the vegetables on the divider of the highway’s around two-kilometre stretch at the upazila’s Shahidnagar, Shalpopennai and Amirabad. They however do not have to go anywhere for selling the vegetables as people who travel along the highway buy them.
Farmer Motaleb Mia, who hails from Haripur village, says: “We start to grow a variety of vegetable once it is sold out.
Roads and Highway Department Sub-Divisional Engineer Md Mazharul Islam says: “There is a plan to turn this highway into an elevated one and so we have kept 12 feet of island between the highway.
“Making the best use of this space, some farmers are growing vegetables on it. They are making good profits from it.”
Daudkandi Upazila Agriculture Officer Aminul Islam says: Farmers are benefiting from growing vegetables on the highway divider quite well. Like them, others may add to their family income by growing vegetables on the fallow land around their homestead.”
Source: Dhaka Tribune
