Heavily loaded vehicles threaten Teesta Barrage
Weighbridge 'kept inoperative' for eight months
A signboard at the entrance of Teesta Barrage in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat district displays the authorities' order banning plying of vehicles exceeding 20 tonnes of load but the restriction is hardly maintained as operation of the weighbridge there has remained suspended for eight months 'due to lack of permanent staff'.Photo: STAR
Movement of heavily loaded vehicles makes the country's largest irrigation project Teesta Barrage across the Teesta River at Dowani in Hatibandha upazila vulnerable as the weighbridge beside the barrage toll room has remained inoperative for the last eight months. After a crack developed in gate No 32 of the barrage, a three-member expert team of Bangladesh Water Development Board (WDB) led by its Chief Design Engineer Saidul Islam visited the barrage and examined the crack on Tuesday noon. "A little crack is found in gate No 32 and it is repairable. The deck slab of the gate is okay and so, there is no cause for panic," Saidul Islam said after examining the crack. During a visit to the barrage, this correspondent saw that vehicles exceeding 20-tonne limit move on the barrage in absence of a functional weighbridge. There are allegations that the lessee for tolls collection from Teesta Barrage allows heavily loaded vehicles on the barrage in exchange of additional toll money. The harmful act in violation of government restriction as a section of officials of Bangladesh Water Development and police turn a blind eye to the matter due to alleged bribe taking from the leaseholder. On an average 1200 vehicles including trucks, buses, motorcycles and auto rickshaws move on the barrage, sources said, adding that 250 to 300 of them are trucks loaded with 30 to 40 tonnes of goods especially stone bolder, coal and other commodities from Burimari land port. These are allowed to cross Teesta Barrage, whereas the rule allows only vehicles loaded with below 20 tonnes of goods to cross the barrage for toll of Tk 500 each. "The employee recruited by leaseholder at Teesta Barrage took Tk one thousand as toll money to allow my truck loaded with boulders weighing above 40 tonnes to cross Teesta Barrage,” said truck driver Abdul Jalil from Mymensingh. A few locals said Tk 5 lakh is exchanged every month for allowing over-loaded vehicles to cross the barrage by 'keeping the weighbridge inoperative'. "Teesta Barrage is our national asset but it is now under the threat of collapse as hundreds of heavily loaded vehicles move across it regularly,” said local schoolteacher Mamotaz Uddin. The weighbridge at the northern end of Teesta Barrage in Dowani area of Hatibandha upazila started in December 2009 to scale vehicles and prevent over-loaded ones from plying the barrage, said WDB officials at Dalia. Since then, the weighbridge continued operating properly but authorities suspended its operation early February this year due to 'lack of permanent staffs' to operate the machine. Ruhul Amin, section officer of the weighbridge, denied the allegation of taking bribe from the leaseholder. Manager of Teesta Barrage toll room Shamim Hossain also denied taking additional toll for allowing over-loaded vehicles across the barrage. Asked why the weighbridge at the barrage has remained inoperative, he said it is a matter of WDB officials. The officer in charge of Dowany sub-police station ASI Mohammad Ali said WDB officials, not police, are responsible for checking over-loaded vehicles at the entrance of the barrage. Nikhil Ronjon Som, executive engineer (Mechanical) of WDB at Dalia, admitted that movement of heavily loaded vehicles on the barrage is causing harm to it. “I have already written to the higher authorities for recruiting permanent staff to operate the weighbridge of Teesta Barrage. Hopefully, the weighbridge will be operated properly from January next year after recruitment of a machine operator, a record keeper and a peon," he said.
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