Pre-poll pledges to build the bridge never came true

27 October 2009, 17:00 PM

Quamrul Islam Rubaiyat, Thakurgaon

People have to take the risky walk on the bamboo bridge to cross Chhatnai River on Shaldanga-Debiduba road in Debiganj upazila of Panchagarh district as promise for a permanent bridge has eluded the locals for over three decades.Photo: STAR

Candidates of different political parties during campaigns before the parliamentary elections assured local people of constructing a bridge across the Chhatnai River in Debiganj upazila of Panchagarh but the assurance has never come true during the last 38 years. "There was a wooden bridge across the river but it was damaged during the Liberation War. Unfortunately, no concrete bridge has been built there after the independence," septuagenarian Hossain Ali of Begidanga village told this correspondent during a visit to Debiganj last week. Local people said the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has already constructed roads on both sides of the river but it is of little use for them without a bridge. People of 30 villages on both sides of the river are facing difficulties, as they have to cross the river by using a bamboo-made bridge constructed by Shaldanga union parishad (UP) to go to Panchagarh town and Debiganj upazila headquarters. The inhabitants of Shaldanga and Marea unions under Debiganj upazila to the north of Chhatnai River face great difficulty during the rainy reason, as they have to use alternative routes and travel additional 6/7 kilometres to go to the upazila headquarters to sell their agricultural products and other goods, locals said. Besides, people of Debiduba union living near the river on its southern bank also suffer the same problem when they visit Panchagarh town on the opposite side of the river. People of the area have demanded construction of a concrete bridge for long but no step has been taken in this regard, said Hasnat Zaman Chowdhury, chairman of Shaldanga UP. "We submitted applications to the authorities concerned, ministers and parliament members several times for constructing a bridge there but to no effect," he said. Demanding immediate construction of the bridge, Debiduba UP Chairman Abdur Razzak told this correspondent that thousands of people including students of his union are facing problems in absence of a permanent bridge. Upazila LGED engineer Robiul Islam said they have sent a proposal to chief engineer's office with the recommendation of local lawmaker for constructing a bridge. When contacted, local lawmaker advocate Nurul Islam Shujan expressed hope that a bridge will be built across the Chhatnai River during the term of the present government.