No bridge even two years after deadline

Even two years after the deadline, the construction of a bridge in Hugra of Tangail Sadar upazila has not been completed, causing immense suffering to thousands of people.

Locals pointed to negligence by the contractor as well as authorities concerned behind the delay.

According to the Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED), construction firm Koninoor Enterprise got the tender to construct a 50-metre bridge over a canal at Beguntal Bazar on Basakhanpur-Hugra road at a cost of Tk 3.9 crore.

The project timeline was from July 5, 2020 to April 4, 2021.

However, after 21 months, only one of the three slabs have been constructed.

This correspondent witnessed people and light vehicles struggling to move on the adjacent earth-made diversion road during a recent visit. Meanwhile, heavy vehicular movement has completely stopped.

Saiful Islam, a rickshaw-van driver, said the diversion road gets submerged in the beginning of the rainy season, disrupting road communication.

Many other drivers of three-wheelers echoed him.

Mohammad Ali, a trader of Hugra, said over 50,000 people move through the road every day to go to their destinations, which include several unions in the western region of Tangail as well as a part of adjacent Sirajganj district.

Meanwhile, one of the construction workers of the bridge said they cannot continue work due to a supply shortage of wood and iron rods.

Torab Ali, a sub-assistant engineer of LGED in Tangail Sadar, said of the main works of the bridge -- piling, and construction of pillars and one slab have already been completed. "We hope to finish the work soon."

Locals said three people, including Tofazzal Hossain Tofa, former chairman of Hugra union parishad and general secretary of Sadar upazila unit of Awami League, are involved in the construction work.

Locals could not protest the reported negligence as the sub contractors are very influential, he said.

Noor-e-Alam Tuhin, chairman of Hugra union parishad, said, "The union parishad had constructed a wooden bridge twice and filled earth to construct a diversion road for facilitating movement of the people."

Tofazzal Hossain Tofa, one of the subcontractors, said the work could not be completed for a variety of reasons. He, however, promised to finish the work as soon as possible without elaborating further.

Rafiqul Islam, executive engineer of LGED in Tangail, said construction work could not be completed on time due to lack of funds.

"However, the fund has been provided with an extended deadline. We hope that the work will be completed by the next two months," he added.