Thousands suffer as bridge turns unusable in a year

This bridge at Ramdakua village in Sundarganj upazila under Gaibandha district has become too risky in a year of construction as the structure, built allegedly without proper engineering plan, often shakes even under the impact of river current. PHOTO: STAR

A bridge across the Ramdakua River on Sundarganj-Ulipur road has become virtually unusable just after a year of completion,
With the rise of water level in the river, strong current hitting the weak pillars of bridge make it tremble, locals said.
Vehicles often have the passengers get down before crossing the bridge with caution, said Ratan Mia, a three-wheeler driver of Ramdakua village.
"Before construction of the bridge, people crossed the river by a ferryboat. The boat started ferrying passengers again as the bridge turned rsiky," said Narayan Chandra, a service holder from the same village.
People of 20 villages in the Teesta River basin area use this bridge to attend upazila offices, schools and colleges, locals said.
As per direction of a former lawmaker, construction of the 600-foot-long bridge across the Ramdakua River started in January last year and completed within four months, sources said.
The work was done under special 'food for works programme'.
"The bridge has turned risky in a year of construction, as it was made without proper engineering plan. A former lawmaker did it and so, upazila engineering department did not interfere in the matter," said Jaharul Islam, upazila project implementation officer of Sundarganj.
Local people have demanded immediate steps for renovation of the bridge to ease their communication.