Bridge lies unused for 7yrs in Kulaura

A concrete bridge in the Kaerchak area of Moulvibazar’s Kulaura upazila has been lying unused for seven years as approach roads on both ends are yet to be constructed.

Locals say the structure, completed on June 10, 2019, at a cost of Tk 30.74 lakh, has brought no benefit to thousands of residents across seven villages.

Built over a canal in the Hakaluki Haor area, the bridge stands around 15-16 feet high. As the canal remains dry for much of the year, residents simply walk beneath the bridge, while local schoolchildren sometimes climb it, risking accidents.

Rahela Begum, mother of two school-going children from Kaerchak village, said, “That bridge is like a trap, high, broken in places, and with no road leading to it. Out of curiosity, children sometimes climb it. One wrong step and a tragedy can happen.”

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Azizur Rahman Monir, chairman of Bhukshimoil union parishad, said soil had been dumped on both ends of the bridge to form connecting roads, but it was repeatedly washed away by floodwaters.

Contacted, Sanjida Akter, upazila nirbahi officer of Kulaura, said she would look into the matter and take necessary steps to construct the bridge’s approach roads.