|| Aziz Al Zaman, RANGPUR: After years of public suffering and repeated demands, renovation work has finally begun on the nearly four-kilometre Satmatha–Jahaj Company Mor road, one of Rangpur city's busiest and most important transport corridors linking the northern districts of Lalmonirhat and Kurigram.The project was officially inaugurated on Sunday with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at the Satmatha area by Rangpur City Corporation Administrator Advocate Mahfuz-Un-Nabi Don. Officials of the city corporation, local representatives and residents attended the ceremony. According to Rangpur City Corporation, the project will be implemented at a cost of approximately Tk 206.7 million. The work includes full reconstruction of the road, construction of RCC pavement where necessary, installation of a modern drainage system, road dividers and separators, and the placement of 260 smart LED street lights. Residents said the road had remained severely damaged for years, causing daily hardship for thousands of commuters. In an effort to press their demand for repairs, locals staged a series of protests, including symbolic funeral prayers, planting paddy seedlings in potholes, displaying red cards, forming human chains and submitting memorandums to the authorities.  The commencement of the long-awaited reconstruction has been welcomed by local residents, who expressed hope that the project will be completed on schedule. They believe the upgraded road will ensure safer, smoother and more efficient travel for people across Rangpur and the wider northern region.