AKHMER KRIMER,
Crime and Development
Ten years ago, construction of a bridge started over a fully functional road in the Kauwwasaki upazila of Bangladesh costing the people a hefty Tk 55 lakh. It stopped midway causing massive confusion, consternation and other difficult words to pop across the minds of IELTS students of that area.
“Is it a bridge? Is it a table? Is it a helipad?” asked Shams Bin Absent who was in Qatar during that time working on a bridge construction in the desert. “We built bridges there but then we put water underneath. This just has a bucket on the dry road below.”
Others were upset that this large 20-feet high concrete structure resembling a table was not the bridge they were promised. For one thing, there is no ramp that leads to the top of the bridge. Secondly there is no ramp leading off the bridge either. So that would make two things very wrong with the fundamental concept of a bridge.
“This is just a well-made shade for the road below,” observed a local named Doctor Mumin who sells medicinal herb extracts right under the non-bridge.
The local MP commented, “We have these structures all across Bangladesh. A 40-feet-long bridge on Palgaon-Mukundapur road in Rautgaon union was constructed for a mere Tk 22 lakh. Sure, the river below is 60-feet wide. But that is beyond the point,” he further explained while wiping his sweat-soaked forehead with a wad of Tk 500 notes. “Many districts have these bridges that are more art than anything else.”
TikTokers have flooded this area to make videos. Some have climbed up and fallen to their death. Bikers have congratulated the government on building such a wonderful shade so they can rest during rain, to escape the scorching summer heat and to meet with Doctor Mumim to seek treatment for aches and pains of the soul. Tourism has gone up as new tea stalls have been set up to accommodate visitors who want to see the bridge that is not a bridge.
“See, the local administration has been looking into the future. They looked far ahead. They have also looked up to see the sky is the limit,” explained the MP. “When the young generation looks at it, they see a platform for their social media growth. When floods happen, you can look at it as a rescue shelter. It is progress depending on how you look at it. One thing reporters need to do similarly is look away.”
“When the young generation looks at it, they see a platform for their social media growth. When floods happen, you can look at it as a rescue shelter. It is progress depending on how you look at it. One thing reporters need to do similarly is look away.”