Century-old risky bridge

A century-old bridge over the Teesta river has not been repaired since it was damaged 12 years ago due to its age and movement of heavy vehicles over it.

People of Badarganj upazila of Rangpur have been using the bridge at the risk of their lives as it connects nine villages of Kalupara union with the upazila headquarters.

“It has now become a death trap,” said Md Forhad Hossain of Uttar Kalupara village. Eighty percent of around 24,000 people are dependent on the century-old bridge built for communicating with the upazila headquarters, he added.

Villagers urged the local engineering office several times to repair the bridge, but the officials paid no heed, Forhad said.

No vehicle, light or heavy, can cross the bridge, said Abdul Gaffar, a rickshaw-van puller, adding that most people prefer to walk across it.

The situation has become worse as the middle span of the bridge was damaged during the last rainy season. The bridge was repaired temporarily using logs, but that did not last long.

People are taking a 4-km detour to go to their destinations, said villager Abdus Sattar. He urged the government to build a bridge on the river considering the suffering of the villagers.

“God knows what will happen in the coming rainy season,” the elderly man said.

Farmer Al Mizan said they are deprived of getting fair prices for their crops as they cannot take those to nearby markets, adding that ambulance drivers often refuse to go to many villages to take patients to the upazila health complex.

“Students and government officials are also sufferers,” he added.

Engineers of the upazila Local Government Engineering Department came several times to take measurements of the damaged bridge, but nothing happened, locals said. Villagers have given up hope of getting a new bridge, said Rafiqul Islam of Kalupara village.

Badarganj Upazila Engineer Md Abu Taleb said he visited the spot and filed a written request to the higher authorities for constructing a new bridge there.