Over one lakh people in three upazilas of the district have been suffering for long for want of concrete bridges over the Joubon-siri, Dhum, Chekadara and Jamuneswari rivers.
The people of 27 villages in Sadar, Jaldhaka, Domar and Kishoreganj upazilas voluntarily made makeshift bamboo bridges over the rivers that are unable to meet their communication requirement as those are meant only for pedestrians.
On a recent visit to the 125-foot-long bamboo bridge over Joubon-siri river at Uttara Shashi village in Sadar upazila, this correspondent found that around 30,000 people from Uttara Shashi, Chapra, Panchpukur, Babrijhar, Saitontola, Kisamat Kalkini, Fatultari, Madontari and Karbala villages have to cross a risky bamboo bridge to go to the district town and markets.
“Locals build the bridge every year with their own donation and support from local union parishad (UP) as it gets washed away in the rainy season,” said Panchpukur UP Member Mahbubar Rahman.
UP Chairman Habibur Rahman said officials from Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) conducted a survey around three months ago, but construction of a bridge is yet to start.
During a visit to Golmunda village in Jaldhaka upazila, it was seen that around 25,000 people of five villages have to use a bamboo bridge to cross the Dhum river.
“When the bridge gets damaged in the rainy season, we have to travel four kilometres more to go to the upazila headquarters,” said elderly man Jamilur Rahman of nearby Shyampur village.
“Before each election, candidates make promises to do everything for making a concrete bridge here, but they disappear after the election is over,” said another elderly man Raisuddin of adjacent Chowdhurypara village.
About 15,000 people of Noyani Bagdokra, Bagdokra, Nimojkhana, Halhalia, Boragari and Uttar Boragari villages in Domar upazila have been crying for a concrete bridge over the Chekadara river since independence.
Keshob Roy of Halhalia village said there are three schools on the other side of the river, adding that many students cannot go to the educational institutions as they have to wade through a portion of the river because the bridge is broken at one end.
“Pregnant women of seven villages suffer most as an ambulance cannot cross the bamboo bridge. Around 30,000 people live in the seven villages,” said Kalipada Roy of Ismail village on the bank of the Jamuneswari river in Kishoreganj upazila.
“Tender will be called soon for construction of a concrete bridge over the Chekadara river in Domar upazila and another over the Jamuneswari river in Kishoreganj upazila and we will conduct a survey on the Joubon-siri and Dhum rivers very soon in this regard,” said Executive Engineer Belal Hossain.
