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New bridge lying mangled

The bridge in Dimla upazila breaks into pieces within one year of construction

EAM ASADUZZAMAN, Nilphamari
A bridge, which was built just a year ago over a canal beside the Teesta river in Dimla upazila, broke into six pieces during the flood last year due to poor construction and use of inferior quality materials.
The 60-foot-long bridge was constructed at Khagar char village in Purbo Satnai union of Dimla upazila by non-governmental organisation (NGO) Polli Sree under Resilience through empowerment, climate adaptation, leadership and learning (Re-call) project in 2015-16 fiscal year. It
was handed over to Purbo Satnai Union Parishad (UP) in August in 2016.
The total cost was Tk 10 lakh, of which international NGO Oxfam donated Tk 8 lakh and the UP contributed Tk 2 lakh.
The bridge is important to people of Teesta char villages Jhar Singeswar, Kaliganj, Khagar char and Paschim Satnai as it is their only means to go to the upazila headquarters, hospitals and big markets.
Several hundred students of the area use the bridge to go to Purbo Satnai High School, Khaga Kharibari Janata College, Dimla
Government High School and Dimla Islamia College.
Abdul Latif Sheikh of Jhar Singeswar village said the bridge broke into six pieces during the rainy season last year, just one year after its completion, as low standard construction materials were used.
Another resident of the village Abdul Aziz said underground piling work beneath the bridge was done without following the plan.
Locals objected strongly against the irregularities at the time of its construction, but the NGO authorities concerned did
not pay heed to our words, said Abdul Aziz of Khagar char.
"Polli Sree constructed the bridge at my request on condition of the local body's participation. Accordingly, our UP donated Tk 2 lakh while Oxfam donated Tk 8 lakh," Purbo Satnai UP Chairman Abdul Latif said.
People are facing immense sufferings as they are compelled to carry agriculture produce and other goods using a longer alternate way, he added.
Dimla upazila Co-ordinator of Re-call project Puran Chandra Barman said, "The bridge was damaged by the devastating flood
in August last year, although it was constructed according to the design made by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED)."
"We called an open tender and a reputed construction firm of Dinajpur, Bondhan Enterprise, did the work while we monitored it," he added.
Upazila Engineer of LGED Abu Saleh Md Jafar said, "We do planning and design of bridges in such a way that they will not collapse in 20 years. I was not posted here during construction of the bridge, so I cannot say anything about it."