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Residents of Suabil union and parts of Nazirhat Municipality in Chattogram's Fatikchhari upazila are enduring significant hardship as the long-awaited Panchpukuria-Siddhashram bridge over the Halda river remains incomplete. The project, initially scheduled for completion last month, has missed its deadline, leaving approximately 25,000 people facing prolonged travel difficulties.

During the dry season, locals navigate the river using a temporary bamboo footbridge. The monsoon season brings further challenges, with boats becoming the sole means of crossing as the makeshift structure submerges. The absence of a vehicular crossing forces motorists to travel an additional 10 kilometers, making journeys time-consuming and expensive. "We thought the bridge would finally end our suffering. Now it seems the wait has no end," said Mohammad Selim, a grocery shop owner, reflecting the community's growing despair.

Inspections reveal that while the bridge's piers are built, critical work such as girder installation, deck slab construction, approach roads, and river protection remains unfinished. For students like Tarekul Islam, crossing the river by boat during the monsoon is fraught with risk due to flash floods and hilly runoff. Farmers like Ratan Das lament the impact on their livelihoods, noting that increased transport costs reduce their profits and lead to lower prices offered by traders who must take the longer route.

The 240-meter bridge, part of the Local Government Engineering Department's Important Bridges on Rural Roads Project (Phase-I), has a budget of Tk 46.30 crore. Despite the work order being issued in January 2024 with a deadline of July 2026, only 55 percent of the work is complete. Project manager Md Shahin cited delays in land acquisition, flash floods, and monsoon runoff as reasons for the slow progress. The project team has applied for a one-year extension, hoping to finish the bridge in 2027. The upazila engineer acknowledged that natural causes have made timely completion difficult.

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We thought the bridge would finally end our suffering. Now it seems the wait has no end.