The construction of a bridge over the Jadukata River in the border area of Tahirpur Upazila of Sunamganj, with the aim of facilitating people’s movement, promoting tourism and trade, began in December 2018. But the time has been extended four times. After being about 70 percent completed, the work has been stopped for a year now.
Locals have formed a human chain to protest negligence in the construction of the bridge and demand its speedy completion. The human chain was held in the Garkati area next to the bridge on Monday afternoon. People from 10 villages on both sides of the river participated in it.
The bridge under construction over the Jadukata River in the Binnakuli Bazar area of Badaghat Union of the upazila is named ‘Shah Arefin (RA)-Adwaita Mahaprabhu Maitree Bridge’. When the construction of this 750-meter-long bridge is completed, it will be the longest bridge in the district. However, due to the negligence and laxity of the contractor, the work has not been completed even after seven long years. Now the contractor has left the work.
The bridge work on the Jadukata River in Sunamganj has been left unfinished. Recently takenPhoto: Prothom Alo
The human chain stated that with the construction of this bridge, travel from the district headquarters to the border area of Tahirpur upazila via Bishwambharpur upazila will be easier. Travel to and from Madhyanagar and Dharmapasha upazilas will be easy through the border area. At the same time, travel to Dhaka via Netrokona will be opened. There is a border market next to the bridge area. On the west bank of the river is the country’s largest Shimul Bagan and Barik Tila, a beautiful natural beauty. Next to it are Tanguar Haor, Lakmachhara, Shaheed Siraj Lake (Niladri Lake), Tekerghat. Thousands of tourists come to these places from different parts of the country every day. Apart from this, traders from Sunamganj city also travel to the area every day at Barachhara, Charagaon and Bagli customs stations in the border area.
The bridge is being constructed at a cost of about Rs 86 crore under the Local Government Engineering Department’s (LGED) ‘Construction of Important Bridges on Rural Roads’ project. A contracting company named Tama Construction is doing the work. The construction of the bridge began on December 4, 2018. The bridge’s construction period was 30 months. According to that, the work was supposed to be completed in June 2021.
The human chain said that the construction of 3 out of 75 girders and 10 out of 15 slabs on the bridge has been completed. Work on 18 girders and 5 slabs is still pending in Makhjan.
Teacher Pabitra Kumar Roy, President of the Environment and Haor Development Organization Kasmir Reza, writer and social activist Abul Hossain, President of the local Gono Kalyan Foundation Sarwar Hasan, former General Secretary of Tahirpur Chhatra Kalyan Parishad MC College Branch Mohammad Nur Uddin, Convener of Ghagtia Public Library Amiya Hasan, social activist Maulana Delwar, local residents Salman Ahmed, Nazmul Islam, Golam Shahid, journalists MA Razzak, Abir Hasan, among others, spoke during the human chain.
Kasmir Reza, president of the Environment and Haor Development Organization, said that this road will connect the neighboring upazila Madhyanagar with Netrokona district headquarters, and thus with Dhaka. Road connectivity has already been established up to Mahishkhala in Madhyanagar. There is direct access from Dhaka to Mahishkhala. But the bridge work is not being completed.
When asked, LGED’s Sunamganj office executive engineer Md. Anwar Hossain told Prothom Alo over the phone that the bridge work could not be completed on time due to various reasons including Corona and floods. There is negligence on the part of the contractor. A letter has been sent to exclude this company from the work. Further action will be taken after receiving the decision.
Source: Prothom Alo
