Construction of bridge 'abandoned' half-way
Contractor 'absconding', authorities silent
Our Correspondent, Sirajganj
Work on a much needed bridge on the Korotoa in Ullapara town has been abandoned half way due to whim of a contractor and apathy of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) authorities. The ordeals of thousands of locals continued for non-completion of Ghatina Bridge. They are still compelled to cross the river everyday. Even many others brave a railway bridge near the incomplete bridge risking their lives. The Korotoa, a tributary of the Jamuna has been flowing through Ullapara upazila town dividing it into two parts. Most of the people here earn a living either by doing agricultural work or through handloom trade. People on both sides of the river face problem in crossing the river. So, they have been demanding a bridge on the river for a long time. At one stage, the government undertook a project at a cost of Tk 3.94 crore to build the bridge with the supervision of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). Accordingly, the LGED gave a work order to Hasibur Rahman Swapan, an Awami League (AL) leader and owner of Islam Trading Construction. Work on the 240-metre long and 6.4-metre wide bridge started during the BNP-Jamaat Alliance rule in 2004. The LGED chief engineer visited the site in 2006. During his visit, he expressed his dissatisfaction at slow progress of the work. The contractor concerned abandoned the work on the bridge arbitrarily the same year. Following takeover of the caretaker government, the contractor 'went missing', sources said. As a result, the fate of the bridge became uncertain. Meanwhile, construction materials including rods and bricks were stolen by some dishonest people in the area, locals said. When contacted, Ullapara upazila engineer Mahfuzur Rahman said construction of the bridge remained off due to financial crisis faced by the contractor concerned. He said 70 percent work of the bridge has been completed. 'We tried to contact the contractor several times for completion of its work in scheduled time but in vain. He said if the contractor does not agree to do the rest work, new estimate would be made and fresh tender would be floated for completion of the bridge requiring additional expenditure. He said action will be taken against the contractor as per rule for his failure to do the work in stipulated time. Talking to this correspondent, a district level officer of the LGED said the contractor is now absconding. He hoped the authorities to take necessary steps in this regard without delay.
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