Shaky bridge a trouble to locals
The bridge in Barguna’s Amtali upazila has been lying in awful condition for 3 years
Thousands of people including school goers are suffering as a bridge on Pashchim Chunakhali canal in Barguna’s Amtali upazila has been lying in an awful condition since a portion of the bridge collapsed three years ago.
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) built the bridge on Pashchim Chunakhali canal in Kukua union under Amtali upazila in 1996 to ease communication of Pashchim Chunakhali and Purbo Chunakhali villages with the upazila headquarters.
The bridge also helped communication with nearby Patuakhali town.
“As a portion of the bridge collapsed amid heavy rainfall three years ago, villagers set a wooden plank to make it somehow usable. Now locals including several hundred school-goers cross the bridge amid risk,” said Md Altaf Hossain, a resident of Pashchim Chunakhali village.
“If anyone falls sick, it becomes difficult to take him to Amtali Upazila Health Complex or Patuakhali town,” said Sharbhanu of Purbo Chunakhali village.
Maruf Hossain, a Class V student of Pashchim Chunakhali Government Primary School, said they have to cross the shaky bridge regularly to attend classes.
Md Borhan Uddin Masum Talukder, chairman of Kukua union parishad, said, “On several occasions I raised the matter in upazila development committee meetings but no step has been taken yet.”
Md Nazrul Islam, Amtali upazila engineer of LGED, said they sent a letter to the higher authorities, seeking allocation to rebuild the bridge.