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Over 5 lakh people suffer for want of a bridge

Our Correspondent, Patuakhali
Over five lakh people of Dashmina and Calachipa upazilas continue to suffer as construction work of a bridge on Sutabaria river under Dashmina upazila has not been completed in 13 years.
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) could not build the bridge for lack of fund though its foundation stone was laid during the last Awami League rule in 1996-2001.
LGED took up the bridge project at Alipur point under Dashmina upazila at a cost of Tk 1.60 crore in 2000-2001 fiscal.
A KM Jahangir Hossain, the then state minister for textile, also local lawmaker, laid the foundation of the bridge.
Tk 30 lakh was given under primary allocation and the work started in full swing.
Basement of the eastern side (Chandpura) of the bridge was completed. But following the change-over of government in 2001, no more allocation was made as BNP came to power.
As a result, construction work came to a halt in the name of shortage of fund.
According to local people, the bridge is of great importance to them as it
will radically improve communication between Dashmina and Galachipa upazila towns.
At least 10 km distance would be reduced between the upazila headquarters if the bridge was completed, Motaleb Mridha, a local trader said.
Several thousand people, including school and college going students now have to cross the river by country boat everyday, he added.
Dashm in a upazila administration lease out the boat terminal every year and this year it took Tk 1.20 lakh for it, Altab Mridha, another resident of the area said.
Abdul Aziz, Dashina upazila chairman told this correspondent that he sent several letters to the authorities concerned to take steps to finish the construction work but to no effect.
We also suggested a revised estimate of Tk 3 crore to build the bridge but failed as fund was not available, he added.
Md Kamal Hossain, LGED assistant engineer in Patuakhali, said that work was started with a fund of foreign donation under a special project but the duration of the project ended in 2001.
We couldn't complete the bridge as the period of project was not extended, he