Sakoa Bridge opens for vehicular movement in Gaibandha

GAIBANDHA, Sep 13: A much awaited Sakoa Bridge near Dholvanga on Gaibandha-Palashbari Road in the district was opened for vehicular movement Sunday afternoon.
Whip of the Bangladesh Parliament and Member of the Parliament of Gaibandha-2 constituency (Sadar upazila) Mahabub Ara Begum Gini formally inaugurated the bridge through unveiling a plaque and offering Munajat on Sunday around 4 pm as the chief guest.
The chief guest said, the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had been working relentlessly after coming to power in 2009 for overall development in road communication sector through constructing bridges and roads.
The country had already been graduated to a lower middle income country and the aim of the government was to turn Bangladesh into a middle income country by 2021 and developed one by 2041 under the leadership of PM Sheikh Hasina, she added.
Executive engineer Mahabubul Alam Khan, sub divisional engineer Asaduzzaman, public representatives, political leaders, and local elite were present on the occasion.
According to sources a concrete bridge at the area collapsed during the devastating flood of 1988 and then a bailey bridge was constructed there to keep the communication system normal.
But, all sorts of vehicles particularly the heavy trucks and long routed-passengers buses had been passing the bridge slowly in fear of collapse for long creating tension to the drivers and the bus passengers.
Later, whip Mahabub Ara Begum Gini took an initiative to construct a concrete spacious bridge at the area to mitigate the sufferings of the people and then, the construction work started on May 26 in 2014.
Construction firms Ma-Matlu (JV) constructed the 40.30- metre long and 7.30- metre wide bridge at the cost of Tk 33.3 million (Tk 3.33 crore) under the direct supervision of Roads and Highways Department (RHD while government of Bangladesh provided the fund, office sources said.
 Talking to the correspondent, executive engineer of RHD M. Mahbubul Alam Khan said with the inauguration of the bridge a long-standing demand of the people of the district was fulfilled as they had been staging demonstration for long for the bridge.
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