People suffer as broken culvert, dilapidated bridge go unattended

CHANDPUR, May 19: Local residents have been suffering a lot as a broken culvert and a dilapidated bridge have been lying unrepaired for a long time in Kachua and Hajiganj upazilas of the district respectively.
Sources said the important culvert at Dakshin Sengua village in Kachua upazila suddenly developed cracks one year ago inconveniencing movement of several hundred men, women and children of Sengua, Meghdair, Bokshaganj and six to seven other adjacent villages in Pashchim Shahodevpur union of the upazila.
Day by day, the broken portion of the culvert is growing bigger posing serious threats to the pedestrians and vehicles. The situation becomes relatively worse at night.
In the meantime, a number of accidents involving the culvert occurred too causing injuries to many people, it is alleged.
Every day a large number of people use the culvert along the Sengua Eidgah--Bokshaganj Road on their way to and from busy and bustling areas like Palakhalbazar, Sachar Bazar and Rahimanagar Bazar in Kachua upazila.A few affected people of Dakshin Sengua's Abdur Razzaque, Abu Taleb and Abdul Baten alleged that due to this risky condition of the culvert, even light or medium vehicles let alone heavy vehicles- such as loaded trucks, pickups and bridal party cars cannot use the busy and important road.
Carrying of building materials, commercial goods and commodities of roadside shops and rural haats and markets is also hampered due to the unfit condition of the culvert.
Consequently, a good majority of the vehicles avoid plying the road and culvert. Instead, they prefer to use alternative distant roads killing extra time, energy and burning extra fuel and charging extra fares.
Local Union Parishad member Rafiqul Islam Gazi told the FE, he has informed the local Paschim Shahodevpur UP Chairman Alamgir Hossain about the miserable condition of the
culvert and the risks it involves.
He added he requested the UP chairman to reconstruct the culvert as soon as possible for the interest of the local residents, especially ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha.
Upazila LGED's Engineer Abdul Alim Lytton told the FE he will visit the culvert site soon and then will report to the higher authorities seeking approval and fund for immediate repair of the culvert.
On the other hand , a very important bridge named Roghunathpur Bridge over the district's famous and zigzag Boaljhuri Khal (canal) at Roghunathpur Bazar, (a historical place carrying memory of Liberation War, 1971,) in Hajiganj upazila has been lying dilapidated for the past 20 to 25 years.
As a result, hundreds of people of the bordering villages of both Hajiganj and Kachua upazilas have been facing inconveniences in their movement every now and then.
Locals said around 1980, the bridge was built considering the requirement of the people of some 15 villages of both the upazilas. Since then no development work has been done to keep the bridge fit for use.
The bridge which has no railing too on either side by now has become dilapidated losing temper and strength.
At places, rods have become rusty and plasters have fallen apart due to the bridge's excessive use and for want of maintenance work. The bridge sans railings is too high; so large and medium vehicles with huge load do not dare move on it freely.
Several thousand people of Tarapalla, Khilpara, Perojpur and Rajapur villages of Hajiganj are dependent on the bridge for their daily movement.
Besides, students of local RP High School and residents of Kadla, Teguria, Muradpur, Gulbahar, Debipur and Burigaon villages of Kachua upazila also use the bridge.
Elderly men Ishaq Bepari, Moklesur Rahman and freedom fighter Abul Bashar of Tarapalla village told the FE, people of neighbouring areas of both the upazilas have been using the ramshackle bridge for many years .
In the past four decades, many roads, bridges, culverts and markets have been developed locally and they are giving modern look but this important bridge has seen no touch of renovation so far, lament locals.
People are using this bridge amid great risks. They feel an urgent need for reconstruction of bridge soon.
Hajiganj upazila LGED's Engineer Rezwanur Rahman said the bridge is in Roghunathpur Bazar under Hajiganj upazila but the code of the bridge belongs to Kachua upazila. So, the problem lies there.
On the other hand, Kachua upazila LGED says the bridge falls in Hajiganj area. Thus the game of shifting responsibility over the bridge has been going on for a long time.
That is why people have been suffering much for this tug of war. They have, however, called upon the MPs of both the upazilas to mutually settle the matter for the convenience of the public.

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