Dharla bridge to ease life of thousands of villagers
PM likely to lay foundation on Thursday
Two boats ferry passengers, motorbikes and other vehicles across the Dharla. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to lay the foundation of a bridge at Kulaghat-Shimulbari point of the river during a visit to Lalmonirhat district on Thursday.Photo: STAR
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to lay the foundation stone of a bridge over Dharla River at Shimulbari-Kulaghat point in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila during her visit to the district on September 20, sources here said. Shaikh Abdul Hamid, president of Lalmonirhat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Lalmonirhat District Council Administrator advocate Motiar Rahman told this correspondent yesterday that if a concrete bridge is built at Shimulbari-Kulaghat point, it will establish direct road links between Lalmonirhat town and three upazilas of Kurigram districts. Over two lakh people of 110 villages under four upazilas of Kurigram and Lalmonirhat and Kurigram district have to cross the Dharla River at Shimulbari-Kulaghat point by boat to catch buses and trains bound for Dhaka, Rangpur, Bogra, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Natore, Khulna and other districts. Traders and farmers are often deprived of fair prices of their goods as they cannot carry them (goods) to Lalmonirhat town and upazila headquarters in time for want of a bridge. The buyers even cannot reach the village markets with their transports to purchase agricultural products. People of these areas said the government should immediately build a concrete bridge over the river to mitigate their untold sufferings. They hope that the present government will complete the construction of the bridge during its tenure. Zahidur Rahman Mondol, assistant engineer of Lalmonirhat LGED, said plan, design and other experimental work of the proposed bridge have already been completed. After laying of the foundation stone, the ministry concerned will allot the required fund for construction of the bridge, he added. Business people of Lalmonirhat and Kurigram said if a concrete bridge over Dharla is built, it will play very important role for development of trade and commerce in the two districts.
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