State minister expresses frustration as bridge opened without connecting road

State Minister for Water Resources Forhad Hossain Azad on Saturday sought a fresh investigation into alleged irregularities in the construction of a newly built bridge in Panchagarh’s Boda upazila after expressing dissatisfaction over the quality of the work during its inauguration.

The minister came under criticism from locals after he formally inaugurated the bridge despite the absence of an approach road on one side of the structure.

Witnesses said the state minister became visibly upset after unveiling the inaugural plaque and inspecting the bridge on foot in the afternoon.

After crossing the bridge, he found that one side of it lacked any connecting road, leaving only a narrow footpath for pedestrians.

Expressing frustration over the condition of the Tk 5.98 crore bridge built on the Tangon river along the Kaliaganj-Dhardharahat road, the minister said he had never seen such a bridge in his lifetime.

“There is a bridge, but there is no road on one side of it -- not even an earthen road.

“There is only a narrow footpath. How is this possible?” he said while talking to locals gathered at the site.

Blaming the engineers and contractors involved in the project, he said, “Had I known earlier about the condition of the bridge, I would not have come to inaugurate it.”

He urged the LGRD ministry, including the LGED minister, to conduct a proper investigation into the matter and take action against those responsible.

Mentioning that public money had been spent on the project, the minister said, “More than Tk 5.5 crore has been spent here. This is people’s money,” he added while pointing at the crowd.

“We will not tolerate such substandard work during the tenure of Tarique Rahman’s government,” he said.

He also demanded exemplary punishment for those found responsible for the alleged irregularities following an investigation.

When contacted, Mahmud Jaman, executive engineer of Panchagarh LGED, denied allegations of poor-quality work.

He said the bridge had been constructed first and the approach road on the other side would be built later after receiving a separate allocation.

“The bridge will become more useful for people after completion of the approach road work,” he added.