A decade has passed since construction work on a bridge over the Ratnai River in Lalmonirhat started. However, the structure has yet to be completed and has been causing immense suffering to the people of the district’s ten villages.
Over 20,000 people from the ten villages of Mogholhat and Kulaghat union in Lalmonirhat sadar upazila have been using boats to cross the river in order to go to Lalmonirhat town.
The construction of the 92 meter long and 7.6 meter wide bridge at Saprikhana village started in January 2003.
The construction was expected to be complete within two years, but by the scheduled time the construction firm just managed to erect six pillars.
Lalmonirhat Roads and Highway Department restarted the work with another construction firm in December 2008 which was scheduled to be completed in April 2011, but once again the firm failed to meet the deadline.
Since then, the Roads and Highway Department has missed a series of deadlines which were—December 2011, June 2012, December 2012, and March 2013.
Recently, the department announced its new deadline to complete the bridge which is scheduled to be June 20, 2013.
Nazim Uddin, managing director of the construction firm in charge of the bridge, claimed they have failed to complete the construction in time due to financial problems.
He also claimed that the failure to meet the deadline is a result of local people stealing construction materials, especially rods that amount to Tk4m.
However, Suruz Miah, executive engineer of Lalmonirhat Roads and Highway Department, said 97 percent of the construction work has been completed so far, and that they would be able to open the bridge for public this June.