The sick bridge!

A report along with a photograph by the Lalmonirhat correspondent of a local English daily was published on 16th December. It was the usual and sad saga of negligence of our authorities. The report stated: "The bridge collapsed at least 40(forty) times snapping road links in the last five years", as stated by some R&H officials.

Can we not set up a parallel temporary 'Bailey Bridge' by the army engineers, and then rebuild the steel structure. It could take a year or a little longer, but it will definitely help restore uninterrupted traffic movement.  The bridge broke down eight times a year in last five years! From the photograph, it looked like that the main supporting structure was all right, and the damage was limited to the steel bridge deck superstructure. Will it not be economic to take some time and do it properly rather than repeatedly fiddling with it. Eight times a year on an average is too much. I would urge upon the Honourable Minister concerned to please look into the matter and ensure that the job is completed once and for all.

Engr S.A.Mansoor

Dhaka.

sam@dhakacom.com