Crumbling bridge puts 50,000 lives at risk

A wooden bridge over the Buri Bhairab River remains the only route for around 50,000 people commuting between the Afra area of Narail Sadar upazila and the Basundia area of Jashore Sadar upazila.

Built with wooden planks laid across two iron and 14 concrete pillars, the bridge is now in a severe state of disrepair.

Thousands of commuters from 16 villages in the two neighbouring upazilas continue to suffer daily while crossing the dangerously fragile structure.

A recent visit revealed that parts of the wooden planks have collapsed into the river, leaving large gaps. The absence of any guard railings on either side makes the bridge highly risky for both pedestrians and vehicles.

Warning signs at both ends of the bridge prohibit motorcycles, loaded vans, trolleys, and nasimons. However, in the absence of any alternative route, these restrictions are often ignored.

Rahman Sheikh, a local, was seen pushing his motorcycle across. "You can't ride a bike across the bridge; it has to be pushed amid risk. When one bike is already on the bridge, another has to wait. If both go at once, they might fall into the river," he said.

Residents said eight villages in Sheikhhati union under Narail Sadar and another eight in Basundia union under Jashore Sadar rely on this bridge for their daily commute.

Previously, boats were the only means to cross the river, which posed serious risks, especially for students and workers. In 2012, locals built the bamboo and wooden bridge, about 100 metres long and 10 feet wide, with multiple repairs carried out since.

"The condition has become so dire now that a fatal accident could happen any time. Around 1,500 people cross it daily out of necessity," said Akkas Ali, another resident.

Joydeb Biswas, a local fisherman, said, "Loaded vans can't cross the broken bridge. I have to carry fish in a basket on my head to the other side."

Bulbul Ahmed, former chairman of Sheikhhati Union Parishad, said a permanent bridge would greatly improve connectivity in the area.

Contacted, Biswajit Kumar Kundu, executive engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department in Narail, said a new bridge will be constructed under the Narail District Infrastructure Development Project.

"The project's survey work has been completed, and the design is currently in progress. Once the design is finalised, we will float a tender," he added.