PM's promise to 4th grader still unmet

Feasibility study of a proposed bridge on the Payra river on Patuakhali-Binapani road via Mirzaganj and Betagi upazilas has not completed, even two years after the prime minister's instruction to build the bridge.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assured taking steps to build a bridge on the Payra river in Mirzaganj upazila after Shirshendu Biswas, a Class-IV student at Patuakhali Government Jubilee High School, wrote to her in August 2016, requesting for construction of a bridge there.

After instruction from the PM's office the bridge department undertook step to build a bridge on the Payra river, said sources at Patuakhali Roads and Highways Department (RHD).

A seven-member team led by a high official of Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) visited the area for selecting the proposed bridge site on November 3 in 2016.

As per report of the team, BBA prepared a draft design for the 1,316-metre-long and 10.25-metre-wide bridge including one-kilometre approach roads on both sides and sent it to Patuakhali RHD office on April 19 in 2017.

To prepare the final design, BBA also asked Patuakhali RHD to send survey map, soil test report, hydro-morphological study report and navigation clearance certificate from Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority. 

Later on November 24, RHD Barishal divisional office sent a letter to the chief engineer of RHD, asking for allocation of Tk 50 lakh to conduct a feasibility study including hydro-morphological study but RHD did not make the allocation and all the activities got suspended.

Shah Mohammad Shams Mokaddas, executive engineer of Patuakhali RHD, said, “I joined here recently and I learnt about the matter on Thursday. I will try my best to take necessary step regarding this.”