Residents of 10 villages suffer due to lack of concrete bridge

RAJSHAHI, Jan 11: Due to absence of a concrete bridge, residents of 10 villages under Biyaghat union under Gurudaspur upazila of Natore district used to cross the Atrai river through a dilapidated bamboo made bridge by risking their lives.

It is learnt, people of those ten villages have been demanding a concrete bridge for a long time. Now hundreds of people of those villages including elderly people, school children and women crossed the river through the bamboo bridge. The people of those villages cross the river through boat during rainy season and use the bamboo bridge during dry season. A concrete bridge at the Subgari Adasha Bazar point over the Atrai river would remove plights of the villagers.

Khokon Mia, a boatman informed, the water of the river Atrai has been decreased due to drying up and encroachment of the river and it is hard to ferry boat through the river during dry season. As a result, Khokon Mia said, he has constructed a bamboo bridge across the river at Sabgari point and villagers were now crossing the river through that bamboo bridge.

Khokon Mia further informed, he used to ferry people of the villages through shallow machine driven boat during the rainy season but during winter and dry season, the water of the river depleted drastically and boat cannot be plied through the river. As a result, he had prepared a bamboo made bridge over the river at a cost of Tk 60,000.

He further said, he used to collect a toll of Tk 2.0 per person, Tk 5.0 per person with motorbike while realise a certain amount of money under contractual basis who regularly crossed bridge with vegetables and crops.

He further said, at the East-Northern part of Atrai river there lived 15,000 people in Fakirpara, Bilharibari, Baghapara and Hardama villages while on West-Southern part of the river there are villages Biyaghat, Sagbgari, Bildahar and Ganda Nagar. Now, a large number of people used to cross the river daily for various purposes that is why it is not possible to ferry all those people through boat so the bamboo bridge has been set up across the river.

Omar Ali, principal of Durgapur School and College informed, there having no bridge at Sabgari point, people of eastern part of the river are in plight. Due to lack of communication, no secondary or higher secondary educational institutions has been set up there. As a result, students from those villages used to cross the bridge to attend their daily classes by risking their lives. The socio-economic condition of people living across the river would be improved following the construction of a concrete bridge over the river.

Rabiul of Fakir village was crossing the bamboo bridge with his wife Mariam. He informed, his wife was pregnant and he went to seek advice from the physician at Bildhar Bazaar. He and his wife were shaking in panic by riding the bridge which was swaying. At the middle of the bridge, a boat has been kept floating. Thousands of people of the villages used to cross the bridge by riding the boat half way of the bridge.

Mozammel Hossain, Chairman of Biyaghat union informed, one a half year ago, a meeting was held demanding a bridge at Sabgari Bazaar and a memorandum was also submitted to the local MP in this connection.

Abdul Quddus, Member of Parliament of Gurudaspur informed, in response to the demand of local people, the project of setting up a bridge at Sabgari point has been approved under development project of the government. Soon the tender for construction of the bridge will be invited and construction work will started afterwards.

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