A fallen bridge and the daily struggles of 10,000 tea garden residents in Habiganj

Ratan Kurmi, a tea worker from Kapai Tea Garden, picks fresh leaves by hand, then faces a choice that did not exist a week ago: abandon the day's harvest or walk miles out of his way to deliver it. His wages remain unchanged, but his workload has doubled.

“Every day I have to walk miles extra just to carry the tea leaves to the factory,” he said.

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Across the divide, Sunita Roy, 35, a mother of three from Laskarpur, worries about her eldest son. His SSC examinations are approaching, but the bridge that once carried him safely to school each morning is now gone.

"We have been living here for generations, but no one from the government ever comes to listen to our problems," she said.

Their most recent hardship began after a bridge connecting the Kapai and Laskarpur tea gardens in Chunarughat upazila of Habiganj collapsed following an overnight landslide on Sunday, severing communication for around 10,000 residents and disrupting tea leaf transportation.

According to locals, the bridge's approach roads and central span gave way after a landslide descended from the Satchari National Park area.

Hundreds of students from Kapai who relied on the bridge to reach Laskarpur Government Primary School and High School now have no safe crossing.

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The bridge, built by the LGED around 15 years ago, had sustained visible damage from an earlier landslide but was never repaired. Photo: Star

Tea leaves harvested in Kapai are normally processed at the Laskarpur factory, but workers are now forced to take a detour several kilometres longer, increasing costs and travel time.

The bridge, built by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) around 15 years ago, had sustained visible damage from an earlier landslide but was never repaired, residents alleged.

Md Sajjadul Haque, manager of Laskarpur Tea Garden, said the damage was beyond repair. “The middle pillar has broken completely. A new bridge must be built.”

Md Wahed Ali, chairman of Paikpara union parishad, said the matter has been reported to the district administration.

Md Fazlul Haque, LGED engineer for Chunarughat upazila, said a joint inspection had been conducted and a proposal for a new bridge would be submitted to headquarters soon.

Tofazzal Sohel, vice-president of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA), Habiganj, attributed the collapse to environmental degradation around Satchari National Park.

“When hillsides are stripped of trees, landslides become inevitable. Building a new bridge is not enough -- the authorities must restore the hillside, replant native trees, and strictly protect the forest. Otherwise, this will happen again,” he said.