RANGPUR, Jan 15: The people of three unions under Gangachara upazila in the district are suffering much due to absence of a permanent bridge over the Ghaghot river in Kurirghat area.
More than 50,000 people of different villages at Betgari, Alombiditor and Barobil unions of the upazila have been suffering a lot for long as their areas are disconnected from the upazila headquarters.
Business, education and public health services are seriously being hampered in the areas as the people living on both sides of the river cannot travel easily between the upazila headquarters because of lack of a bridge over the river.
The successive local government authorities could not construct a bridge over the river despite making pledges for long disheartening the people of the villages. As they have no better alternative, the local people have voluntarily erected a 550-metre long bamboo bridge over the river to ease the road communication. Everyday thousands of people use the bamboo structure over the river risking their lives as the bridge undulates while they move on it.
Children and elderly people are the worst sufferers as the swinging bamboo structure has no railing for safety of vulnerable people.
Traders and farmers are suffering lot owing to communication problem as they need to carry their products to upazila markets for sale.
Abed Ali, a farmer of Paikan village at Alombiditor union told The Financial Express that they are often deprived of fair prices of their produce which they cannot carry to the upazila headquarters on account of absence of a concrete bridge over the river.
Rubel Hossain, a rice trader of Betgari union said at the time of election campaigns the local political leaders make repeated pledges to build a bridge over the river but they become oblivious of it once elected public representative.
In this situation the people of the unions made an appeal to the government to erect a permanent bridge over the river as soon as possible in order to ease their sufferings and boost business activities in the upazila.
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