The only bridge connecting Dhaka to Shariatpur’s Naria and Bhedarganj upazila has remained inaccessible to vehicles for three years now. The inconvenience in communication has been affecting the everyday life of a few hundred thousand people, as they are forced to take a 15km detour for the lack of a better route.
According to Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) sources, the Language Movement martyr Golam Mowla Bridge, was built during 1997-98 to connect Dhaka to Shariatpur’s Naria and Bhedarganj upazila. The bridge was declared risky in 2015 and was closed for vehicular transport use.
According to LGED’s district office, LGED initiated a plan to build a brand new bridge alongside the old one, and at the end of 2017 the contract went to one Navana Constructions with a budget allocation of Tk14.87 crore.
The timeframe of the contract ended in 2019 and was renewed further to allow the construction work to continue.
A local businessman Nazrul Islam from Naria bazar said: “My business took a tumble ever since the bridge was shut down, and I couldn’t conveniently transport goods. Besides, I am losing out on customers on the east side of the bridge. If things continue like this my business won’t survive for long.”
Md Haris, a Naria upazila resident, said: “Vehicles—carrying bricks from the other side of the river to my house for construction—need to take a 15km detour, increasing my costs.”
Another local Barkat Hossain Murad said: “It has been three years and the contractor has just two pillars to show for it. It will take decades to complete the bridge with only just three to four workers.”
Engineer Abul Hashem of Navana Constructions claimed the construction works kept being interrupted due to many drawbacks. “Since we began the work we have been facing problems like land disputes and floods. Also, the new bridge cannot be constructed according to the plans without knocking down the old one. However, the work has picked up pace now. We can hope the bridge will be completed within the allotted time.”
Shariatpur LGED Executive Engineer Shahjahan Farazi acknowledged that the delay in construction increases the suffering of the people of the two upazilas. “We are taking every possible measure to finish the construction at the earliest possible time.”
