Bridge without approach roads

Thousands of people of eight villages have been suffering for months due to lack of approach roads on both sides of a newly built bridge in Kishoreganj upazila of the district.

The 40-foot-long and 15-foot wide bridge on a canal at Ismailer Dola village under Sadar union has been lying virtually unused since its construction was completed nearly six months ago.

The Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management built the concrete bridge at a cost of Tk 32.53 lakh under Rural Infrastructure Development Programme.

During a visit in the area yesterday this correspondent saw villagers walking past the bridge on the dried up canal.

Locals said about 10,000 inhabitants of Ismail, Kamarpara, Nitai, Chandkhana, Nagarbondh, Bahagli, Nannur Bazar and Sorinjabari villages face inconvenience for want of the approach road.

Rafiqul Islam of Ismail village said even a bicycle cannot ply over the bridge due to the situation.

Due to the lack of approach road they have to travel an additional eight kilometres to reach the upazila headquarters, Rafiqul further said.

Minara Begum, a Class X student at Kishoreganj High School, said girl students are the worst sufferers as the newly built bridge is unusable.

Anisul Islam, chairman of Sadar union parishad (UP), said he had raised the issue at the upazila coordination committee meeting last month.

Moazzem Hossain, Kishoreganj acting project implementation officer (PIO), said the former PIO had released most of the project fund to the contractor concerned before constructing the approach roads.

The PIO said they would take legal action against the contractor concerned soon.