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Left incomplete for 3 years

Skeleton of a foot-bridge at Shankar bus stop

Helemul Alam
Despite long-time demand from residents and commuters, a foot over-bridge at Shankar bus stop area in Dhanmondi has remained in a skeletal form foryears.
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) started the construction work around three years back, and suspended the work halfway.
Additional chief engineer of the DSCC, Asaduzzaman said they stopped the work at that time as Dhaka Power Distribution Company demanded around Tk 38 lakh from them to shift overhead electric cables and a transformer.
"We could not finish it as there was a shortage of fund at that time, and DSCC was running under an administrator," said the official.
Around Tk 20 lakh was spent out of around Tk 99 lakh budget, but after that they were forced to suspend the work due to shortage of fund, he said.
"The financial issue has been solved, and we are hopeful of completing and opening it to public by December," he said when asked about it recently.
However, until yesterday, no new work was visible on the bridge. The structure of the footbridge still stands, but there is no staircase or floorboards. Overhead cables and a transformer were also seen at the
south-eastern part of the bridge.
"The footbridge's construction started around three years back, but DSCC did not finish it at that time," said seventy-four year old Mohammad Nur Hossain, a resident of Shankar.
He said a foot over-bridge is very necessary for the point as a large number of people use the bus stop, and many others have to cross the street there. Elderly people, children and women are the worst sufferers, he said.
There are campuses of several educational institutions in the vicinity - including the University of Development Alternative State University of Bangladesh, Oxford International School, Ananda Niketan European School and Maple Leaf International School, for which a good number of students have to cross the bus stop every day, and they have no alternative to j aywalking
"It is really difficult to cross the point during rush hour as many vehicles pass through. There are times when I have to wait around 10 minutes to cross the road," said Suborna Rajbongshi, an eighth semester student of Institute of Science and Technology, Bangladesh in Dhanmondi.
Authorities should complete the unfinished footbridge immediately, she said. "I was very happy when the construction work started, but years have passed and we are yet to get its benefit" she said.