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Bangabandhu Bridge

Run, looked after poorly

M ABUL KALAM Azad, back from Bangabandhu Bridge
Poor maintenance and operation has exposed the vital Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge to various dangers, investigation reveals.
All 49 aircraft warning lights have been out of order for many years, which might lead to a chopper crash at night. Chopper disaster may occur also at daytime due to foggy weather in winter. Many of the 152 sodium lights and 198 navigation lights don't work. All these lights are crucial for safety of both the bridge and the traffic crossing it.
As many as 59,000 elastic clips on the rail bridge keep the tracks firmly attached to the concrete surface. Of these, 530 clips have broken down and 20,000 others rusted. This may also cause a train disaster anytime.
"These clips should be replaced immediately to avert an accident," said Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, who detected the poor state of the rail bridge during an inspection in November last year.
He said absence or sufficient aircraft warning system, navigation and sodium lights may also cause an accident anytime. "Choppers flying in the bridge area can be a victim of not having the aircraft warning system," he told The Daily Star.
No maintenance work of the rail bridge was conducted since train service started 14 years ago.
However, railway's Chief Engineer (West) Kazi Rafiqul Alam said they were going to float a tender to replace all the broken and rusted clips.
There is also no surveillance of the bridge, save the toll plazas. Anyone with ill motives can easily capitalise on
the loopholes, fear many in the bridge area.
Apart from facilitating quick transportation of goods and passengers by road and rail between the country's eastern and western parts, the 4.8-kilometre bridge helps transmission of electricity and natural gas, and integration of telecommunications links. The bridge also falls on the route of the Asian Highway and the Trans-Asian Railway.
A move to bring the entire bridge under surveillance was taken a few years ago. As many as 36 closed-circuit cameras were purchased, but those have still been gathering dust. The cameras could not be
installed due to 'shortage' of cable, claimed officials of Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) that is responsible for looking after the bridge.
“We will soon appoint a company to install the cameras. Then we can easily watch the bridge from a monitoring room at the bridge site and also from Setu Bhaban [headquarters] in Dhaka,” said Bridge Division Chief Engineer Kabir Ahmed.
Chaos and disorder rules the entire bridge nowadays. Road accidents and traffic congestion on the bridge and its approach roads have been frequent thanks to the sheer neglect of the bridge's maintenance and
operation companies as well as the BBA.
Investigation says the problem began with awarding of the bridge's toll collection and maintenance contracts to two local companies --Shamim Enterprise Ltd (SEL) and UDC - in November2010.
None was eligible for the job, but both got the contracts for five years by managing separate joint ventures with two Chinese companies -- Goangxi Scientific Institute of Communications and Meteorological Construction Company (MCC).
As per the contracts, the companies are getting Tk 1.3 crore per month sup-
posedly for collection of toll, operation of weighing machines and maintenance of the entire bridge and its approach roads.
In case of accidents or breaking down of a vehicle, they are supposed to rush to the spot and clear the road. They are also responsible for repair or replacement as soon as alight goes off. But the reality is in most cases the company people are last to reach the spot despite being informed.
They are also least bothered about their duties since getting the job. They are allegedly busy finding out ways to siphon off toll money, allowing overloaded trucks by taking bribe and taking payment
by producing false receipts.
Experts from each of the Chinese firms were supposed to assist the inexperienced local companies, but they were hardly seen in last two years.
The Daily Star repeatedly asked the BBA officials and the UDC and SEL staff about the Chinese experts, but no-one could even say their names. They always came up with the same answer — “the Chinese are on leave".
The UDC is very little known to the country's engineers. Neither the BBA officials nor the UDC staff in the bridge could say the actual elaboration of UDC. They presumed it would be ' United -or-Unnayan' Development Corporation.
Chief Engineer of the company Mozammel Haq denied the allegations.
BBA assistant engineers Khairuzzaman and Abul Kalam Azad posted at the bridge refused to comment, saying there were official restrictions to speak to the media.
Asked why actions were not taken against the companies for their corruption and neglect of duty, Bridge Division Chief Engineer Kabir Ahmed said, “We are trying to force them to do their work properly. We did not go for serious actions against the companies as they are backed by two influential ruling party leaders.”
On aircraft warning lights, he claimed the responsibility lies with the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh, but they did not replace the lights despite repeated requests.