Keane Bridge reopens

SYLHET, Oct 23: The historic Keane Bridge was reopened on Tuesday night in presence of the Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) and police officials.

SCC panel mayors - Toufique Baksh Lipon and Rokshana Begum Shahnaj, Ward Councillor Azam Khan and others were present on the occasion.

Prior to the event, however, the social leaders from the South Surma area had a meeting at the SCC on Monday night while the city mayor agreed to reopen the bridge.

From now on the non-motorised carriers like rickshaws and pushcart etc would be using the bridge while restrictions for all sorts of motorised ones would remain in force, SCC officials said.

Vehicular movement had remained suspended for weeks while the bridge was for pedestrians only as some emergency repair works on the over 90-year-old structure was done.

In line with the opinions expressed by a good number of senior citizens and other social orgnisations the SCC stopped vehicular traffic through the bridge since September 01 by putting barriers on both the entries. They were contemplating making it only for pedestrians permanently.

Since after then the locals, especially the inhabitants of Dakshin Surma's Bharthokhola, Station Road, Chandnighat, Kodomtoli etc areas resorted on protests on the plea of sufferings of the commoners especially the students, traders and others.

They staged rallies on the bridge's southern gate and around demanding immediate reopening while former city mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran and others also addressed. They announced ultimatum to press the demand failing to which to face further agitation.

The SCC and Roads and Highways Department stopped the vehicular traffic through the bridge for some repair works from September 01.

Built in 1936 the bridge was named after the then Assam governor Michael Keane when Sylhet was with Assam.

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