A 40-feet vulnerable, tattered bamboo culvert on a canal at Chhoto Pathailhat village under Nagdemra Union of Santhia Upazila of Pabna district is the only means of communication for nearly 10,000 people of several villages of the Union. By risking their lives, people of the surrounding villages are regularly crossing the culvert to reach their destinations. Local people have demanded either to construct a concrete culvert on the spot or to make a road by filling up the canal.
It is learnt, earlier there was a concrete culvert on the canal at Chhoto Pathailhat village connecting near the house of Kasem Khan to the house of Matin. But the culvert became old and broken away creating a deep canal on the spot. Local people later on constructed a bamboo culvert on the canal. This bamboo culvert is now being used as the only means of conveyance for nearly 10,000 people of six villages of Nagdemra Union of the Upazila for a long time.
Local people informed the school-college bound students, farmers, traders and passerby of the six to seven villages including Nagdemra, Chhoto Pathailhat, Boro-Pathailhat and Selandah use the bamboo culvert by risking their lives. Specially, the young school bound children, farmers and traders carrying their goods on heads and shoulders found it difficult to cross the culvert. The farmers are failing to carry their agro products to the nearby hats and markets. The local devotees also use this culvert to reach the only Boro Masjid ( Large Mosque) across the culvert at night and in the early morning.
Local residents Kashem Khan, Abduk Matin, Nazrul Islam and Abdul Mannan have demanded to construct a concrete culvert on the spot. They said, during the Elections, candidates and local representatives visited the villages and assured them to construct a concrete culvert by replacing the bamboo culvert but after the election is over, no one cares to fulfil the pledge.
Local UP Chairman Monowara Begum said, local people have been suffering for a long time in absence of a concrete culvert. The canal should be filled up to ease the movement of people.
Hafizur Rahman Hafiz, Chairman of Nagdemra Union admitted about the suffering of the people in absence of a concrete culvert. He said to ease the movement of the local people, the canal would be filled up and a road will be made there in next June.
LGED Engineer Shahidul Islam said he would visit the bamboo culvert and would take necessary action to make a concrete bridge by replacing the culvert.