Construction work of MA Wadud Bridge drags on for seven years

CHANDPUR, Dec 24: The authorities could not build the bridge linking Chandpur Sadar to Faridganj upazila over the Dakatia River at Chhoto Shoondar village in Rampur union of Chandpur Sadar even after long seven years.

The foundation stone for the bridge was laid on February 11, 2017.

The bridge was named after the language movement hero MA Wadud who hailed from Rampur union of Chandpur Sadar of the district.

According to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the construction work of the bridge began on December 07, 2020 and was scheduled to be completed by December 06, 2021 (within 365 days).

The bridge is 274.20 metres in length and it has a total of 363 metres area of approach roads on both ends.

Chhoto Shoondar, Alghi Panchgaon, Mohamaya, Kamranga villages of Chandpur Sadar are on the west side of the bridge over the Dakatia River while on the east side are Choronbolia, Islampur, Kamta, Deichar, Modon-ergaon, Chandra, and 10 other villages.

Around 0.1 million people of the above mentioned remote areas of both the upazilas have been waiting eagerly since 2017 to use the bridge but to no effect as yet.

Thousands of people are facing problems due to the delay in completion of the bridge work.

The worst sufferers are the serious patients, pregnant women, new born babies, elderly people and the students. They have to face numerous problems while crossing the river at night.

Ruhul Amin Topader, 65, an elderly man at Deichar village in Chandpur Sadar said, works of many other bridges in the district have been completed

"But all the difficulties lie with this very one".

A Aziz, 58, a local resident of Islampur village, alleged that the work is going on at a snail's pace.

During a recent visit to the bridge site, this correspondent found that work of the main body of the bridge was completed, but the work of the approach roads of the bridge were still lying incomplete.

LGED Chandpur's Executive Engineer Mohammad Ahsan Kabir said, "So far 80 per cent work of the bridge has been completed."

He further said, "Work of the approach roads on both ends of the bridge which began in June last could not progress due to acute fund crisis."

He added, "The bridge's entire work is most likely to be completed by January next. Then in February, it will be opened for public use. "

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