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Two shaky bridges remain death traps for long

MIRZA SHAKIL, Tangail
A large number of vehicles including passenger buses and goods-laden trucks use dilapidated Pouli Bridge near Eienga in Kalihati upazila and Hamidpur Bridge in Ghatail upazila, posing risk of fatal accident anytime.
Pouli Bridge connects Bangabandhu Bridge over the Jamuna River and Hamidpur Bridge is on Tangail-Mymensingh route.
The bridges shake when vehicles pass, said Nuru Miah, a bus driver of Binimoy Paribahan in Tangail.
The Pouli Bridge, constructed over Pouli River at Eienga in 1964, saw unusual pressure of vehicles after construction of Bangabandhu Bridge over the Jamuna River in 1998, said Roads and Highways Department (RHD) officials in Tangail.
Now around 15,000 heavy and light vehicles of 21 routes including 16 districts of northern region and five districts of greater Mymensingh area use the broken bridge daily, said sources of RHD and Gorai highway police.
The pressure of vehicles on the narrow highway doubles before the Eid, they added.
Seventeen people were killed and
many others injured when a passenger bus fell into the river after breaking the railing of the bridge a few years ago, said Suruj Miah and Sirajuddin ofPouli area.
The deck slabs and girders of the old bridge have also remained in bad conditions for long, they said, adding that often miles-long tailback of hundreds of vehicles is created on sides of the bridge as vehicles have to move very slowly on the bridge.
Vehicles movement on the bridge got suspended after a deck slab collapsed in 2008.
Later, the broken bridge was repaired with the help of army men, sources said.
Following directions of Communications Minister Obaidul Quader, RHD constructed a bailey bridge beside Pouli Bridge at a cost of Tk 2 crore 70 lakh to reduce pressure of vehicles and the bailey bridge was opened on February 17, officials said.
The minister also directed the authorities concerned to reconstruct Pouli Bridge as soon as possible.
Hundreds of vehicles also take risky journey on 52-year-old Hamidpur Bridge over Jhinai River on Tangail-Mymensingh road.
A big part of the railing of the bridge broke long ago while its deck slabs and girders have remained in bad conditions for long, sources said.
A few months ago, procedure to reconstruct Pouli and Hamidpur bridges and five other bridges from Tangail to Dhanbari upazila started under the Eastern Bangladesh Bridge Project with the finance of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and a foreign construction firm under the joint venture with a local firm had got the work orders, RHD sources said.
The procedure, however, stopped after it became known that the foreign firm was bankrupt, they said.
Recently the Bangladeshi partner of the joint venture filed a writ petition with the High Court, saying that they have ability to complete the work without the partnership of the foreign firm.
When contacted, Shawkat Ali, executive engineer of Tangail RHD, said,
"The High court has already rejected prayer of the petitioner and after that the purchase committee of the ministry has approved to give the work to the second lowest bidder, Meer Akter Construction Firm. The bridge reconstruction work is likely to start within one month."