Intent to save rivers creates row between BIWTA, railway

The row over giving vertical clearance to several railway bridges between Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Bangladesh Railway (BR) has now reached the Cabinet Division.

Failing to solve the problem at an inter-ministerial meeting on December 9, the railways ministry requested the Cabinet Division to come up with a solution.

The division is scheduled to hold an inter-ministerial meeting with the cabinet secretary in the chair today, said BR and ministry officials.

The conflict started after BIWTA, in its bid to save rivers and increase their navigability, changed categories of several rivers at different points.

It issued a gazette on November 13 last year, replacing the earlier one [April 2010], said a BIWTA official. To construct a bridge across a river, any authority has to take both horizontal and vertical clearance from BIWTA, the official added.

But a railway ministry letter sent to the cabinet on December 12 said the changes in the category has created complexity for several under-construction and soon-to-be-constructed bridges as well as bridges under consideration.

It mentioned Kalurghat Bridge in Chattogram, Tongi Bridge and Garai Bridge in Kamarkhali. BIWTA officials present on December 9 meeting could not give any specific opinion over the issue, it added.

If the issue of vertical clearance [of rail bridges] is not resolved, it would create an impasse over the project. Besides, cost and duration of the project will escalate, the letter said.

Vertical limit means the distance between standard high water level of a river and the main navigation span of a bridge.

The limit has been divided into four categories. The first category mentions that vertical clearance has to be minimum 18.30 metres, second category 12.20 metres, third category 7.62 metres while fourth 5 metres.

Meanwhile, work of Tongi Bridge has already started under the project of “Construction of 3rd and 4th Dual Gauge Line in Dhaka-Tongi and Dual Gauge Double Line in Dhaka-Joydevpur Sections”.

But it remained suspended from April following opposition from BIWTA, project director Shahidul Islam told The Daily Star yesterday. BIWTA upgraded the category of this point of Turag river to second from third, he said.

“Physical work of Tongi Bridge has already started. How can we change the vertical limit now?” said Md Shamsuzzaman, director general of BR.

On the other hand, the letter said BIWTA in November 2011 gave vertical clearance to a new Kalurghat Bridge over Karanphuli river under the third category. But it has upgraded the category at Kalurghat point in November last year to second.

BR has long been working to replace Kalurghat Bridge, constructed in 1931, initially designated as a railway bridge. Later in the ‘60s, it was modified and turned into a rail and road bridge.

In November last year, BR finally decided to construct a dedicated railway bridge with a dual gauge track. Earlier, it had decided to replace the old bridge with a new one -- a single track and two-lane road.

Review of the feasibility work for the bridge is now underway, a BR official said.

Md Shamsuzzaman, however, said the problem centring Garai Bridge has been resolved. He did not elaborate further.

Secretaries to the Road Transport and Highway Division, Bridges Division, railways ministry, Local Government Division, shipping ministry; member (physical infrastructure) of planning ministry; BIWTA chairman; chief engineers of Roads and Highways Department and Local Government Engineering Department, and BR Director General are expected to join today’s meeting.