Prolonged construction work on three bridges a nagging pain

SYLHET, Feb 25: Construction work of three bridges is going on in Jagannathpur upazila town of Sunamganj district taking significantly longer than originally planned, resulting in delay in actual completion time of their projects and creating hazards for the local residents.
Residents of the upazila face commuting hurdles while passing by the construction sites of the bridges. Their movement gets obstructed with the dumped building materials or with constant irritable sounds coming from the construction sites.
Thousands of people have been facing these types of problems for a long time due to the unusual delay in completion of construction work of the three bridges.
During a recent visit, it was known that the main bridge on the Noljur River near the food godown area of the upazila has been lying broken over one and a half years while construction of a new one replacing this has been going on.
Amid risks, pedestrians and vehicles are now crossing the river using the bridge in Dak Bungalow area which had recently gone partially collapsed. A major accident may take place there at any time, locals apprehend.
Pedestrians and vehicles are also using a one-way diversion Bailey bridge nearby while the condition of its approach is just frightening. Near the under-construction bridge, a temporary bamboo bridge is there for pedestrians, whose state is also pitiable. All the three under-construction bridges here are in hazardous states, said trader Ataur Rahman. Locals alleged that the authorities have been turning a deaf ear to the longstanding problems of the common people. None is there to bother about the agonies of the commoners, alleged journalist Abdul Hai. The trouble has been continuing for the past two years while inhabitants of Jagannathpur Pourashava have been suffering immensely. Sources informed that the ministry of relief in 1988 constructed the bridge on the Noljur River near the food godown while it was dismantled and foundation of a new bridge costing Tk140 million (Tk 14 crore) was laid in 2023.
Although the construction work was scheduled to be completed by April of 2024, only 60 per cent work has been done so far. The delay is due to the negligence of contractor amid the authorities' poor monitoring and supervision, alleged locals. At the time of constructing the new one, a Bailey bridge was set in the helipad area. Although locals called for constructing it at a higher place to avert monsoon trouble, their demand was ignored.
Accordingly, during the monsoon, the Bailey bridge becomes inundated, causing suffering for the locals. This is why it remains almost unused for three to four months due its low height at the cost of people's suffering.
On the other hand, construction work of the other bridge was started with locals' initiatives in 1987 at the Dak Bungalow site, and was later completed by the Local Government Engineering Department in 1996. During the river dredging, the bridge collapsed on March 17, 2022. It was then repaired by the LGED and Jagannathpur Pourashava authorities.
The bridge is the only alternative means of communication during the monsoon. It is also often shut in the face of excessive pressure of pedestrians and vehicles. Site engineer said for various reasons the work had been delayed. An official at the LGED said, "We are trying to complete work of the bridges soon."

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