Locals are facing extreme difficulties in their movement as the work of the Umesh Danga Bridge under construction over the Khakhari River in Debiganj, Panchagarh has not been completed on time.
According to sources from the Debiganj Upazila Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), a 90-meter-long PC girder bridge has been allocated for the construction of a 90-meter-long PC girder bridge over the Khakhari River in the Umesh Danga area of Sonahar Mallikadaha Union of the upazila in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
The construction cost of the bridge has been estimated at 6 crore 30 lakh 47 thousand 484 taka. The contractor company Mohammad Yunus and Brothers Limited from Nasirabad area of Chittagong is responsible for the construction. The construction work started on October 18, 2023. The work was supposed to be completed by February 24, 2025. But even though two months have passed since the deadline, the construction of the pillars has not been completed. On the spot, it was seen that the construction of three of the four pillars has been completed so far. As the work of the remaining one is not yet completed, there is no progress in the construction of the main structure of the bridge. The upper rod of the welded part of the pillar has already rusted.
Local college students Md. Mamun Islam, Golam Rabbani and van driver Abdul Hakim said that about ten thousand people travel every day from Wards 4, 7, 8 and 9 of Sonahar Union, as well as from Badsha Bazar and Bhabaniganj areas of Khansama Upazila of neighboring Dinajpur, by crossing the Kharkhari River in Umesh Danga of Sonahar Union. This is the only easy way to reach the Union Parishad, hospital and Upazila Sadar. Besides, hundreds of students cross this river every day to go to school. Earlier, there was a bamboo bridge over this river, but the contractor demolished it before the construction of the bridge began. As a result, the locals are currently having to cross the river at their own risk. If the construction of the bridge is not completed before the next monsoon, the suffering will reach its peak.
Arif Islam, a representative of the contracting company 'Mohammad Yunus and Brothers Limited', said, I came here 15 days ago. I don't know anything about what happened here before.
In this regard, Debiganj Upazila Engineer, Md. Shahriar Islam Shakil, said over his mobile phone that the bridge construction time has been extended in view of the contractor's application. The work of casting the bridge piers is going on regularly.
