Rickety bridge turned into major safety hazard

Khulna Correspondent :

A rickety wooden bridge over the Chitra River in Terokhada upazila of Khulna has turned into a major safety hazard, exposing hundreds of commuters to daily life-threatening risks, while authorities remain largely indifferent.

During a recent visit, this correspondent found that most of the wooden planks of the bridge have rotted away, leaving wide gaps through which the river below is clearly visible.

Several handrails are broken, and the entire structure shakes dangerously even under the weight of light vehicles.

Local residents described the bridge as a “death trap”, saying it has long exceeded its usable lifespan.

Tarofdar Miraj Hossain, Headmaster if Terokhada Government Primary School told This Correspondent that The School is an ancient institution and famous in this locality whuch is also a Poll Center.

The bridge is used daily by school and college students, teachers, farmers, patients and pedestrians from several surrounding villages. The risk escalates during the monsoon, when rain-soaked wooden planks become extremely slippery.

“There have already been multiple incidents of people falling and getting injured, but many of these go unreported,” alleged locals.

Residents further claimed that repeated complaints both written and verbal have been lodged with the Union Parishad, upazila administration and concerned departments over the years.

However, neither permanent reconstruction nor temporary repairs have been carried out so far.

The continued neglect has sparked anger and frustration among locals, who questioned the accountability of public representatives and officials.