Bridge without approach roads

A newly constructed bridge over a canal in Lama upazila has remained unfit for vehicular movements for over a year due to lack of approach roads on either side of the structure.

As there is no approach roads, people of over 30 villages under four wards of the upazila are deprived of getting any benefits from the bridge, Lama Upazila Chairman Mostafa Jamal said.

Local people use a bamboo ladder to get into the bridge first and then cross it to reach their destinations, including the upazila headquarters, risking their lives. 

Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board (CHTDB) constructed the bridge over Popa Canal at Paharpara village spending Tk 2.85 crore in 2020.

The approach roads to the bridge is urgently needed to ease the sufferings of over 2,000 inhabitants of different villages on either side of the canal, the chairman said, adding that without connecting roads it will bring nothing but waste of money.

One of the local residents Shajahan Mia said about a year ago villagers put a bamboo ladder on one side of the bridge so that people can get into the bridge and cross it.

"Pedestrians, especially elderly ones, often fall from the bridge and suffer injuries while using the ladder," Shajahan added.

Another resident Mohammad Afsar said after repeated appeals from the locals the contractor concerned recently started the road construction work, but in a slow pace.

Ching Thoai Marma, one of the contractors of the construction work, said they started the bridge construction work in 2019, but there was no allocation for the approach roads.

The construction work remained stalled for over a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but according to the CHTDB's directives they started the road construction work recently, he said.

Contacted, Bandarban CHTDB Executive Engineer Abu Bin Mohammad Yeasen Arafat said construction of the 60-metre-long bridge was completed about a year ago and recently we directed the contractor concern to construct the approach roads in soonest possible time.