Bridges that are unable to bridge
Thousands of people are suffering due to collapse of bridges and lack of approach roads at different places of Patuakhali, Netrakona and Lalmonirhat.
Our Patuakhali Correspondent reports: Two bridges in Mirzaganj and Dumki upazilas, completed three years and one year ago respectively, are lying useless due to lack of its approach roads.
In Mirzaganj, Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) built a 9.15-metre-long bridge on Chatra canal at a cost of Tk 19.50 lakh three years ago to ease communication with Mirzaganj upazila town.
But local people cannot use the bridge as the approach road has not been made.
In Dumki, LGED built a bridge on Khormatola canal at Jalisha village at a cost of about Tk 25 lakh a year ago to ease communication with Dumki upazila headquarter.
“But we can't use it as its approach road hasn't completed,” said Md Shahjahan, a local resident.
Meanwhile, people of five villages including a good number of schoolchildren are suffering for long as they have to cross a 250-foot-long bamboo bridge on Gorai canal in Patuakhali Sadar upazila for going to school and communicating with the upazila town and the district headquarters.
The Gorai canal is situated on the boundary lines of Auliapur, Motherbunia and Morichbunia unions, all under Patuakhali Sadar upazila.
At least 150 children of Motherbunia and Morichbunia have to cross the bamboo bridge to go to Pashchim Auliapur Government Primary School and adjacent Auliapur Adarsha High School situated on the east bank of Gorai canal.
Md Humayun Kabir, chairman of Auliapur Union Parishad, said they submitted prayer to different authorities including LGED to build a bridge on the canal but no step has been taken.
Md Hossen Ali Mir, Patuakhali Sadar upazila engineer of LGED, said, “We sent a proposal to the higher authority to build a bridge on the canal. If we get allocation we will construct the bridge.”
Our Mymensingh Correspondent reports: Movement of vehicles other than very small ones has virtually stopped on Kalmakanda-Durgapur road in Netrakona as the approach road of Chanduail Bridge got damaged on Friday due to landslide amid heavy rain and huge pressure of water from hills across the border.
This is the only road to connect with Kalmakanda and Durgapur upazilas and Netrakona Sadar, locals said.
The approach road of the 40-metre-long bridge was in bad shape for months but the authorities concerned did not take any step earlier, said Abul Hossain, a truck driver.
Farmers will be seriously affected if the suspension of plying of goods carrying vehicles continues, said Md Saiful Islam, executive member of Kalmakanda upazila Awami League.
Contacted, Kalmakanda upazila LGED engineer Md Haider Ali Miah said, “For repair of the approach road, a Tk 19 lakh work order was earlier passed. We are pursuing the assigned contractors to start the work soon.”
Our Lalmonirhat Correspondent adds: A bridge over Kumor Dola canal at Dhairkhata village of Lalmonirhat Sadar upzaila's Kulaghat union collapsed during last year's flood but it is yet to be reconstructed.
People of Dhairkhata, Shakher Bazar, Madoner Chak, Kodalkhata and Saptana villages use the route for their communication and transporting goods to the district town and other areas.
“After a month of the bridge collapse in September last year, we set a bamboo bridge there on our own expenditure. We set another new bamboo bridge there in last month,” said Azizul Islam Aziz, 52, a resident of Shakher Bazar village.
“Now we use the route for communication but we can't use it for transporting agricultural products by vehicles,” Lutfar Rahman, 45, of the same village said.
Kulaghat Union Parishad Chairman Idris Ali said they submitted application to the LGED authority for reconstruction of the bridge.
LGED's Lalmonirhat Sadar Upazila Engineer Mokhlesur Rahman said demand note was sent seeking fund to the higher authorities for construction of the bridge.
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