Manikganj, Bangladesh — After years of being cut off by bad roads, Pachutia village is finally seeing the start of real change. In this river-ringed corner of Tilli Union in Saturia Upazila, crews have begun building the long-sought road linking Pachutia to the Dakat Mara intersection on the main Tilli road — a project being carried out at a cost of several million taka.
For residents, it is a moment of relief they had almost stopped expecting. Poor transport had made everyday life a struggle for years, they say, complicating everything from school runs and hospital visits to getting crops to market. The project finally gained traction after it came to the attention of Afroza Khanam Rita, Member of Parliament for Manikganj-3 and Bangladesh's Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, who moved quickly to get construction underway.
Now, with Pachutia's road taking shape, people in neighbouring Akashi Village — another old community within the same union — are pressing harder for development of their own.
Home to nearly 4,000 people, Akashi has five mosques, a government primary school, and a playground, yet residents say it has seen almost no government-funded infrastructure over the years.
Respected community figure and media personality M. Masud (Rana Masud) said his family has long funded local welfare out of its own pocket — establishing the Akashi village cemetery, expanding the South Para Jame Mosque, and backing a range of community development projects.
Their latest undertaking is an ambitious one: a madrasa-cum-orphanage for more than 200 students, again on family-owned land and at family expense. But before permanent construction can begin, the low-lying plot must first be filled with sand or soil hauled from the nearby river — work that requires government clearance.
To make it possible, residents have appealed directly to Minister Afroza Khanam Rita for urgent help securing the approvals and administrative support the land-filling needs.
Just as she helped bring a long-awaited road to Pachutia, they hope, the minister will get behind Akashi's push to educate and care for its children — turning the effort into a lasting benefit for generations to come.