Age-old Teesta Bridge turns risky
Leaseholder adding to the worry for 'extra bucks'
This time-expired railway-cum-road bridge over the Teesta River in Lalmonirhat Sadar uapzila has turned awfully risky as the wooden floorboards, set in 1978 to facilitate movement of light vehicles, have weakened due to plying of heavy vehicles.Photo: STAR
Over century-old Teesta Bridge has turned risky, much to the worry of thousands of commuters of Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts. The leaseholder is allegedly allowing heavy vehicles including lorry to cross the bridge for 'extra money'. Constructed as a 2100-feet railway bridge over Teesta River in Lalmonirhat Sadar in 1901, the bridge is known as the doorway to the two districts. Approximately 1500 vehicles cross the bridge every day. Following an agreement between Bangladesh Railway and the Roads and Highways Department, light vehicles started crossing the bridge after placement of wooden floorboards in 1978. The authorities allowed only passenger vehicles to cross it at that time. Later, in sheer violation of the agreement, heavy vehicles including ten-wheeled lorries also started crossing the bridge, eventually shortening its lifespan. The usable time of the bridge, which was hundred years from construction, expired nine years ago. Now people travel through the bridge risking lives as movement of heavy vehicles caused damage to the wooden sleepers, turning it unfit for movement. The leaseholder gets Tk 30 as toll money against per vehicle loaded up to five tonnes but he allegedly receives handsome amounts of money from vehicles loaded over ten tonnes, even ten-wheeled ones. Violation of the restriction on heavily loaded vehicles is frequent especially during the night with the help of a section of railway staff and some policemen who allegedly get share of the money, sources said. Denying allegations of taking additional toll money by allowing heavily loaded vehicles, Golam Mostofa Swapon, the leaseholder of the bridge, however, said, “I hardly know about the matter.” Railway Divisional Engineer, Lalmonirhat Asadul Haque said, “As heavy vehicles ply through the bridge, wooden sleepers got damaged before the expiry time.” This is posing risk for train services as well as movement of other vehicles. “We have already sent a letter to the higher authorities concerned on December 10 after another one in last month for taking necessary steps in this regard. But we are yet to get any response from the authorities,” said Asadul Haque. Meanwhile, during a visit to the area on Tuesday, State Minister for Mass and Primary Education Motahar Hossain said the under construction new Teesta road bridge over Teesta River in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila will be opened in June, 2011. “Necessary action will be taken officially against the construction firm if the contractors of the construction firm fail to complete the bridge by schedule time on 31 May in 2011. Time was extended for third time so far," the state minister said. Locals, however, expressed doubt about timely completion of the new bridge given the reality that the work was going on in a very slow pace. The construction firm missed two deadlines to complete construction of the bridge on September 9 in 2009 and May 31 in 2010, they said. The construction work of the 750 metre-long and 12.11 metre-wide road bridge over Teesta River began on September 7, 2006 and it was scheduled to be completed by three years, costing Tk 87 crore. The Bangladesh government provided 85 percent of the fund and the rest was given by the Kuwait government. Two construction firms -- Amin-Delim (Bangladesh) and ASCO (India) are constructing the bridge under a joint venture.
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