Where bridge has no road
A bridge built without any connecting road in Ajmeriganj upazila of Habiganj is yet another example of fleecing public of their money.
In fiscal year 2015-16, around Tk 28 lakh was spent to construct the bridge over a canal to connect remote village of Uttarhati with Satgaon Public High School on the other side of the canal.
But, in reality, an existing road nearby has been serving the purpose very well for the villagers.
Villager Sajjad Mia said they would not mind using the bridge as an alternative way to the school, but they never had the chance to use the bridge for all these years, as connecting roads were never made for it.
Even seventh grader Joy Nath Das, a student at Satgaon Public High School, knows it was a waste of money. He said when there is already a good road to go to the school, spending money on building the bridge for a second route to the school was absolutely unnecessary.
Other than some children jumping off it into the canal for fun in the rain, the bridge now serves no purpose, said Jashim Uddin, from the same village.
As an added headache, boat accidents often take place when those collide with the bridge due to strong current in the canal during the monsoon, he added.
Farmer Mahfuz Mia said the bridge could be put to good use if only several lakh taka were spent to build roads for it.
Contacted, Mohammad Ali, project implementation officer in the upazila, said there was a road on one side of the bridge, but it was washed away by floods.
Efforts are underway to repair the damaged road, he added.
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