Faulty designs leave future of eight bridges in Jashore uncertain

Eight bridges under construction over four rivers in three upazilas of Jashore are much lower than the required height. A bridge, according to a gazette of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), must have at least 15 feet of clearance between the river’s highest water level and its girders (load-bearing structures).

However, the clearance between the girders and the water level of these bridges is six feet in some places and eight feet in others.

The construction of the bridges began in 2018–19, when the Awami League (whose activities are now banned) was in power. At the time, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) began construction of the bridges in Jashore Sadar, Monirampur and Sharsha upazilas. The estimated construction cost of the eight bridges was Tk 417.1 million.

After construction began, the designs of all eight bridges were found to be faulty. A clearance from the BIWTA is required to construct a bridge over a river. However, the LGED did not obtain such clearance for the construction of these eight bridges.

BIWTA officials then sent several letters to the LGED asking the latter to follow the proper procedures for bridge construction. Despite receiving those letters, the LGED continued the construction work. Subsequently, BIWTA filed a written complaint with Kotwali police station in Jashore.

Yet, construction work on none of the bridges was stopped. At one point, the matter went to court. In June 2024, the High Court directed that the bridges be constructed following the proper procedures. Since then, construction work on the bridges has remained suspended for more than two years.

However, by then, construction of one of the bridges had nearly been completed. Of the remaining seven bridges, construction progress on five is 80–95 per cent. According to LGED data, construction progress on the other two bridges is 60 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively.

Three of the bridges are 96 metres, 50 metres and 45 metres long, respectively. Of the remaining five bridges, three are 72 metres long each, while the other two are 60 metres long each. While the court injunction on construction remains in force, the project periods for five of the eight bridges have already expired.

Uncertainty has now arisen over the future of these bridges. If the bridges are demolished, the government will lose Tk 417.1 million. On the other hand, if construction is somehow completed according to the existing designs, the waterways will be destroyed.

Prothom Alo correspondent visited the sites of the eight bridges in Jashore in June and July. Of these, three are being constructed over the Bhairab river in Jashore Sadar upazila, two over the Betna river in Sharsha upazila, one over the Sri river and two over the Mukteshwari river in Monirampur upazila.

Locals said that boats no longer operate in the sections of the rivers where the bridges are being constructed. However, 25 to 30 years ago, trawlers (motorised boats) used to operate on each of the rivers.

A bridge is being constructed over the Bhairab river in the Chhatianatala area of Jashore Sadar upazila. Construction progress on this bridge is 60 per cent. The estimated cost of constructing the bridge was Tk 44.24 million.

Tofayel Ahmed, a grocer from the Chhatianatala area, said that after dredging, the Bhairab river began experiencing tidal flows again in 2023. In the past, date-palm jaggery and patali were transported by boat along this waterway to Barishal, Khulna and various other parts of the country. The waterway gradually began to become defunct after 1990. Now, vessel movement has stopped.

Afra Ghat is seven kilometres downstream from the Chhatianatala Bridge. From Afra Ghat, people can travel by boat or trawler to Noapara Port.

Three kilometres upstream from Chhatianatala, another bridge is being constructed over the Bhairab river in the Daitala area. Visiting the site, it was found that water hyacinths had accumulated in the river. Construction of the bridge is nearly 80 per cent complete. According to LGED sources, the estimated construction cost of the bridge is Tk 41.12 million.

A bamboo footbridge has been temporarily installed beside the bridge under construction at Daitala for people to cross. Motorcycles can somehow pass over the footbridge, but vans and rickshaws cannot.

Another bridge is being constructed over the Bhairab river in the Rajarhat area, four kilometres farther from Daitala. The estimated construction cost of this bridge is Tk 55 million. Construction of the bridge is already 32 per cent complete.

The water under the bridge is dirty and polluted. Shahin Hossain Khan, from Abad Kachua village on the riverbank, said the bridge would benefit thousands of people from around 30 villages in the area once completed.

Two bridges are being constructed one after another over the Betna river, two kilometres apart, along the regional road from Navaron bus stand in Sharsha upazila of Jashore to Gorpara. One is being constructed in the Kazirber-Islampur area and the other, about two kilometres away, in the Gatipara area of the same upazila.

Half of the deck casting work on the Kazirber-Islampur Bridge remains unfinished. On paper, 86 per cent of the bridge work has been completed. The estimated construction cost of the bridge is Tk 62.1 million.

Mia Raj, a farmer of Islampur village on the northern side of the bridge, said they have to cross the river to go to Navaron market. As the bridge has not been completed, they are facing problems transporting goods. Transporting each maund of paddy now costs an additional Tk 100, and the same problem affects the sale of other crops as well.

Mia Raj said he had heard that there was a flaw in the bridge design and locals would benefit if the flaw were fixed and construction of the bridge completed quickly. He said that 30 years ago, boats loaded with paddy and jute used to come to the Betna river from northern Bangladesh. Now, there is not even any tidal flow.

Meanwhile, 92 per cent of the work on the Gatipara bridge has been completed. The estimated construction cost of the bridge is Tk 64 million. Work on the approach roads on both sides of the bridge remained unfinished. Locals, on their own initiative, constructed the approach roads and made the bridge usable.

Besides these, a 96-metres bridge is being constructed over the Mukteshwari river on the road from Mohanpur Bottola in Monirampur upazila headquarters to Noapara river Port in Abhaynagar at a cost of Tk 75.73 million. Eighty-four per cent of the work on the bridge has been completed.

Boats no longer operate in the section of the river where the bridge is located. However, the river still experiences tidal flows.

Another bridge over the Mukteshwari River on the Hajrail-Nalghona road in Monirampur has been fully completed. However, the contractor has not yet handed over the bridge to the LGED. According to LGED sources, Tk 38.63 million was spent on constructing the bridge.

A bridge is also being constructed over the Sri river in Nehalpur of Monirampur upazila. According to LGED sources, the estimated construction cost of the bridge is Tk 39.47 million. Construction progress is 95 per cent. Work on the approach roads on both sides of the bridge remains unfinished. Local residents have constructed the approach roads on both sides, making the bridge usable.

Prothom Alo spoke to LGED Jashore executive engineer Ahmed Mahbubur Rahman about the construction of the eight low-clearance bridges. He said that while preparing a design, factors such as the waterway, the types of vessels operating on it, the project cost and the timeline are taken into consideration. The LGED’s design division prepares the bridge designs.

Replying to a query about why construction work was not stopped after it became clear that the bridge designs had not been prepared in accordance with the BIWTA gazette, Ahmed Mahbubur Rahman said, “That certainly could have been done. However, I was not in charge of Jashore at that time.”

Shariful Islam served as the executive engineer of LGED in Jashore from December 2022 to June 2024. He is now working at the LGED headquarters. During his tenure in Jashore, construction of the Rajarhat bridge over the Bhairab river began.

Replying to a query from Prothom Alo on 8 August, Shariful Islam told Prothom Alo over the phone that according to the BIWTA gazette, the waterway upstream from Noapara on the Bhairab River is not shown as navigable. Vessels do not operate in this section. Besides, there are a total of 53 bridges, large and small, over this river. Some of them are only six and a half metres long (more like culverts). Is there really a possibility of vessels operating on this route?

Regarding the construction of a low-clearance bridge without BIWTA approval, Shariful Islam said, “It is true that BIWTA approval was not obtained when the bridge was constructed. Obtaining approval would have increased the project cost and extended its duration.”

From March 2021 to December 2022, Anisuzzaman served as the executive engineer of LGED in Jashore. He is now also working at the LGED headquarters. Speaking to Prothom Alo over the phone, he said, “I cannot say now which bridge construction work began during my tenure.”

Prothom Alo later spoke to the LGED’s Bridge Design section. Its superintending engineer MA Chattar told Prothom Alo, “If we proceed with the remaining work on the bridges now, we will have to go to jail for contempt of court. We are trying to convince the local people who filed the case to withdraw it. If they do not withdraw the case, there is nothing else we can do.”

Asked whether it was appropriate to construct the bridges in this manner without BIWTA approval, MA Chattar said, “Those who were responsible at the time are accountable. They have retired. Now that the bridges have already been built, there is no alternative but to complete them. Otherwise, this investment will serve no purpose.”

The LGED official said that if the case is withdrawn, the remaining work on the eight bridges in Jashore could be completed through other ongoing projects.

In September 2023, Iqbal Kabir Zahid, adviser to Bhairab Nodi Sangskar Andolon (Bhairab River Restoration Movement), filed a case in court over the construction of the low-clearance bridges. He told Prothom Alo that on 29 May 2024, the High Court, in an order, directed that the bridges in Jashore be constructed in accordance with the proper guidelines. The order also included a temporary suspension of all types of construction work. At the same time, on 11 June 2024, the High Court directed the chief engineer of LGED or his nominated representative and the executive engineer of Jashore to appear before the court. They later appeared before the High Court and gave a written commitment to construct the bridges in accordance with the guidelines within six months.

Iqbal Kabir alleged that the chief engineer and executive engineer had violated their commitments. He called on the government to take steps to end public suffering by completing the bridge construction quickly in accordance with the court’s directives and guidelines.

To learn about the current plan following the court’s directive, Prothom Alo spoke to Ahmed Mahbubur Rahman, executive engineer of LGED Jashore. He told Prothom Alo that, following the court order, engineers from LGED’s Design section (the engineering team of the Design section) visited the eight bridges on 13 July 2025 and collected the necessary information and evidence to revise the bridge designs.

Replying to a query on whether the bridges would have to be demolished and rebuilt to comply with the court’s directive, Executive Engineer Ahmed Mahbubur Rahman said the bridge girders would be lifted with cranes, the height of the pillars would be increased, and the deck would then be installed again. Work is underway to prepare such a design.

However, BIWTA Khulna Deputy Director Md Masud Parvez said that LGED had not submitted any application over the past two and a half years seeking clearance for the construction of the bridges.

Prothom Alo spoke to four senior officials of the Jashore district administration about the government’s current plan for the eight bridges under construction. They said that given the situation, a political decision is now needed.

Aninda Islam, member of parliament from Jashore-3 (Sadar) constituency and state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, told Prothom Alo that it is true that bridges built at a low height would obstruct the movement of vessels. It is advisable to take vessel movement into consideration. But it is also necessary to consider how realistic that approach is. There is scope to verify whether there is actually a possibility of vessel movement on the rivers in the Jashore region.

Aninda Islam said, on the one hand, resources are being wasted, while on the other, public suffering has reached an extreme level. He said he had discussed expediting the completion of the bridges with the deputy commissioner of Jashore and the LGED executive engineer.

He had also spoken to the plaintiff in the case that has halted construction of the bridges. The plaintiff was requested to withdraw the case. An initiative will soon be taken to resolve the legal complications through coordination among all parties and complete construction of the bridges, he added.