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🇧🇩 Bangladesh /Energy & Infrastructure

20,000 residents of 10 Jamalpur villages suffer from delayed bridge reconstruction

From Daily Star · (37m ago) English Critical tone

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Approximately 20,000 residents in 10 villages in Bakshiganj, Jamalpur, have been suffering for years due to a collapsed bridge.
  • The bridge, crucial for local transportation, was washed away by floods in 2019, forcing locals to use makeshift bamboo bridges or boats.
  • Reconstruction is stalled due to a lack of funds, with a proposal submitted for the next fiscal year, but construction depends on fund allocation.

The Daily Star highlights a critical infrastructure failure in Bakshiganj, Jamalpur, where the absence of a reconstructed bridge over the Takimari canal has plunged 20,000 residents into years of hardship. The bridge's collapse during the 2019 floods severed a vital link, leaving communities reliant on precarious bamboo structures or boats to navigate the waterway.

The bridge, over the Takimari canal on Alirpara-Gopalpur road, was washed away during the floods in 2019.

— Daily StarDescribing the event that led to the current problem.

This isn't just an inconvenience; it's a daily struggle impacting education, livelihoods, and emergency response. Students face significant delays commuting to school, farmers struggle to bring produce to market, and the risk to patients needing urgent hospital care, especially during the monsoon, is alarmingly high. The lack of connectivity has a tangible and detrimental effect on the economic and social well-being of these villages.

In the absence of a permanent structure, locals have been relying on makeshift bamboo bridges or small boats to cross the canal, often at risk.

— Daily StarExplaining the current methods of crossing the canal.

Despite repeated appeals from the affected communities, effective action has been slow. Local authorities acknowledge the issue, with the acting chairman of Bogarchar union confirming that the matter has been escalated. However, the primary obstacle appears to be financial. The upazila engineer of LGED in Bakshiganj stated that the reconstruction project is stalled due to a lack of funds.

The absence of the bridge has been causing serious hardship for students.

— Zulfikar MamunA lecturer at Gazi Amanuzzaman Modern College, describing the impact on students.

While a proposal for funding has been submitted for the 2025-26 fiscal year, the commencement of construction is entirely contingent on the approval of fund allocation. This bureaucratic delay leaves thousands of residents in limbo, underscoring the urgent need for timely infrastructure development and adequate budgetary support to prevent such prolonged suffering in rural Bangladesh.

Local farmers struggle to transport agricultural produce to markets.

— Daily StarHighlighting the economic impact on local farmers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Daily Star in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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