Bridge on people's initiative

Local people have built a wooden bridge with their own initiative in a month on the river Kajolong flowing through two unions in Baghaichhari upazila, relieving over 20,000 residents of ten villages from their longstanding sufferings.

There never was a bridge over the river in Rupokari and Marissa unions, thanks to the authorities' negligence of the matter.

Despite repeated pleas, the authorities concerned are yet to take any steps to ease the villagers' lifelong sufferings, said locals.

During monsoon, school and college going students are the worst sufferers due to lack of a bridge there, they said.

Finding no other alternative, they started making the 180-foot-long and 12-foot-wide wooden bridge on self-help basis in mid-February, said  Suman Chakma of Rupakari union.

Buddhist monk Dharma Tissho Mohasthobir first took the initiative to make the bridge, said villagers.

During a visit to the area on February 26, this correspondent found a group of people carrying wood on their shoulders to make the bridge.

It needed Tk 10 lakh to make the bridge. They used about 12,000 feet of wood to build the bridge, said Suman.

Bromho Kumar Chakma, headmaster of Rupokari High School, said the villagers built a temporary bridge voluntarily. The government should build a permanent bridge over the river.

Upazila LGED Executive Engineer Md Moniruzzaman said they have already informed the higher authorities about a concrete bridge there but a response is yet to come.