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People suffer as a bridge in Tangail remains unrepaired for seven years
A broken bridge over the Jhinai river in Basail upazila of the district has been lying unrepaired for the last seven years, causing sufferings to local people.
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) constructed the footbridge near KBN High School in Kashil in the 1994-95 fiscal year at a cost of Tk 28 lakh, villagers said.
The 132-metre-long and 8-foot-wide bridge was constructed for connecting the people of the southern region, including Kashil and Habla unions, with the upazila headquarters, they added.
However, the bridge was built in such an unplanned way that a rickshaw van and a pedestrian could not comfortably pass over it simultaneously, they added.
A part of the bridge collapsed due to erosion by the river in 2010, Ruhul Amin of Kashil area said, adding that locals then constructed a bamboo bridge and connected it with the remaining part of the bridge to restore communication.
However, the current of the river during the monsoon washed away the bamboo bridge also the same year, he added.
Since then, several thousand people of the southern region, including Kashil and Habla, have been crossing the river by boat. People carrying goods have to walk several kilometres to reach their destinations, Ruhul said.
Local people have been demanding construction of a new bridge in the area for years, but nothing has been done as yet, he added.
Upazila Engineer of LGED in Basail Abdus Sattar said tender for construction of a 295-metre-long 2-lane new bridge in the area is under process. "We hope the local people will get the bridge soon," he added.