Under-construction bridge turns into death trap

An under-construction bridge has now become a death knell for the locals as the development works of five-years-old bridge yet completed.

Locals are now demanding the construction of a connecting road as soon as possible as the people of about ten (10) villages are deprived of seeking their needs.

The bridge built over the Pakhimara canal within Sundarban Union under Mongla Upazila in Bagerhat district. Locals said that the construction of the bridge has not been completed even though the deadline has passed.

Meanwhile, due to the lack of a connecting road, local residents including school students have to travel at risk by climbing bamboo ladders.

Locals said that about 4,000 people from at least 10 villages demanded the construction of the connecting road on the both sides of the bridge immediately.

The movement of the children, women and the elderly people in particular has become extremely risky. As the bamboo ladder is swinging, there are often incidents of slipping and failing and getting injured.

Meanwhile, locals complain that the bridge is of no use due to the lack of connecting road.

Locals have made arrangement for movement by building bamboo ladders on both the sides of the bridge on their own initiative. On both the sides of the bridge there are important educational institutions including Banishanta Govt. Primary School, Aziz Bhatti Secondary School, a market and a Madrsa.

Due to the lack of connecting road students and guardians have to climb the bridge every day on bamboo ladders, risking their lives, to go to these institutions.

Jamal Farazi, a teacher and resident of Sundarban Union told, this bridge was built to improve the communication system. However, even after 5 years, the road on both sides of the bridge has not been built. The bridge, built at a cost of Tk. several crores, is lying idle without aconnecting road.

If the land acquisition process is not completed quickly and the connecting road is not built, a major accident can happen at any time. He added, we, the villagers are seeking the intervention of the concerned authorities to solve the issue without any delay.

Kamal Sheikh, a local resident said, the bridge was built more than 5 years ago. But due to the complications related to land acquisition, the connecting road has not been built yet.

This is causing us endless sufferings.He added, a number of students of different grades of different educational institutions of the localities are to climb the bamboo ladders in order to cross this bridge every day to attend to their educational institutionsrisking their lives and sometimes some of them fall from the ladder which is slopping and got injured.

According to the LGED (Local Government and Engineering Department),Pakkhimara bridge over Pakkhimara canal within Sundarban Union under MonglaUpazila was constructed in the year of 2018 by a Patuakhali based construction farm named M/S. AbulKalam Azad.

The 90 meter long bridge was completed in the year 2021 under LGED’s Rural Infrastructure Project. Although the main structure was completed at a cost of Tk.63.273 million, the construction of the connecting road on both the sides has not yet began started.

Md. MashiurRahman, Senior Assistant Engineer, LGED, Bagerhat told, the construction of the bridge was done by a construction farm. But due to complications related to land acquisition, it has not yet been possible to construct the connecting road yet. However, in activities have been taken to solve the problem and I hope, it will be resolved very soon.