Tk 70-million bridge left useless without approach road
A concrete bridge, built at a cost of Tk 70 million (7 crore), over Kesharghat Soti River in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila is left unused for there are no approach road leading to the bridge.
Locals, however, made a bamboo bridge to cross the river on foot, reports UNB.
People of the area said that based on the demand of nearly 100,000 residents from two unions in the upazila, the local administration started the construction of the bridge in 2021 at a cost of Tk 70 million.
Though the construction work of the bridge has been completed, the authorities concerned failed to construct the approach roads on both ends of the bridge due to land acquisition complexities.
Mujibur Rahman, a resident of nearby Khuniagach village, said they are using the concrete bridge by making bamboo structures on both ends of the bridge as it is their only means of communication. “Public suffering intensified during monsoon,” he added.
According to sources at the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), they started the construction of the bridge on 25 March, 2021, at a cost of Tk 68.2 million (6.82 crore).
Though the construction work of the 81-metre long concrete bridge was completed in time, due to complications regarding land acquisition, no approach roads could be built on either sides of the bridge.
Local school teacher Fazlul Haque said, “There was a bamboo bridge over the river and people used to cross it risking their lives. Currently, there is a concrete bridge, but it did not solve the communication problems for the absence of approach roads.”
Local businessman Nur Mohammad demanded an immediate solution to the problem to mitigate the suffering of people.
Shahjamal, a representative of the contractor firm that worked on the bridge, assured that the construction of the approach roads will begin soon.
Akhtaruzzaman, executive engineer at the LGED, said, “We are at the end of resolving the land acquisition problem and the work of approach roads will start soon.”