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11 risky bailey bridges on Syihet-Bholaganj road need urgent reconstruction

IQBAL SIDDIQUEE, Sylhet
All the 11 bailey bridges on Syihet Bholaganj road have become risky due to excess traffic and frequent plying of trucks over loaded with stones from the country's biggest stone quarry at Bholaganj in Companiganj upazila.
Plying of vehicles may be suspended anytime if any of the bridges face any petty damage, it is apprehended.
About 37 kilometres off Syihet city, the stone quarry at Bholaganj adjoining the Indian borders provides employment for about 60,000 labourers while the government earns about Tk 10 crore in revenue from the quarry every year.
At least 5,000 trucks are engaged in loading stones in the quarry’ areas. Several hundred more people are working at 137 stone crusher machines at Companiganj upazila headquarters and around Bholaganj quarry. Stones of different sizes including broken ones are transported every day from Syihet to different destinations.
The 11 one-way bailey bridges on the road from Bholaganj to Syihet have become risky, posing risk of serious accident anytime. Recently the traffic went suspended for over 12 hours as a plate on Bomi Bridge broke.
A programme was taken up for construction of 11 new bridges under a World Bank aided flood control project in 2003. But the authorities withdrew their funding proposal after finding irregularity in selecting contractors. Later, the Roads and Highways Department sent a project to the higher authorities for approval in 2006. But, there was no progress in this regard.
Again in February this year, the
RHD officials from Syihet sent project proposal for construction of girder bridges in place of the bailey bridges on the 37-kilometre road known as Sylhet-Salutikor-Companiganj-Bholaganj Road. But there has been no progress of work
Ten of the 11 bridges are now risky for vehicular movement, said MA Sabur, RHD executive engineer in Syihet.
As the bridges have to bear overloaded trucks throughout the day, they are in a dilapidated condition. Although it is risky to run loaded trucks weighing seven to eight tonnes, trucks weighing about 30 tonnes also ply regularly on the road, he said.
The tranzam of the bridges often breaks down, causing suspension of vehicular traffic. The
bailey bridges were built in 1990-92 on temporary basis for opening the road for vehicular traffic. Construction of guarder bridges in place of the said bailey bridges is very much essential for keeping the road usable, especially to ensure transportation of the stones, a major construction item, to destinations throughout the country, the official said.