S DILIP ROY, Lalmonirhat

The construction of the 655-metre Sonahat Bridge over the Dudhkumar river in Bhurungamari of Kurigram remains incomplete five years after work commenced in 2019.

The bridge, intended to connect to the Sonahat Land Port, was scheduled for completion by 2021 at a cost of Tk 133.33 crore. However, contractors MM Builders and Engineers Limited and National Development Engineers Limited have managed to complete only 55 percent of the work, while the delay has escalated costs by another Tk 6 crore.

Locals continue to suffer immensely due to the prolonged construction.

As the bridge remains inaccessible, both commuters and trucks bound for the land port are compelled to use a dilapidated and abandoned rail bridge over the river.

Every day, around 160 to 170 goods-laden trucks ply this precarious route, while residents of Bangasonahat, Baldia, Char Bhurungamari, Andharijhar, and Tilai unions in Bhurungamari upazila, as well as Kachakata, Kedar, Ballabherkhas, and Narayanpur unions in Nageshwari upazila, are forced to rely on the same bridge to reach the district town.

The old rail bridge is unfit for vehicular movement, yet truck drivers have no alternative, said Tajul Islam, a 50-year-old driver.

Farhad Uddin, a local resident, alleged that negligence by the contractors and the Roads and Highways Department has caused the sluggish progress of construction.

Aminul Islam, assistant director of Sonahat Land Port, said trade activities at the port have failed to meet expectations due to the poor connectivity caused by the delayed bridge.

Akmal Hossain, president of Sonahat Land Port C&F Agents Association, echoed similar concerns, adding that truckers are demanding higher fares due to the hazardous conditions of the rail bridge.

Nazrul Islam, executive engineer of RHD in Kurigram, said the contractors have been urged to complete construction by June next year.

He attributed the delay to repeated cancellations of the bridge’s design, which stalled work for nearly two years.

Shamim Reza, project manager of the construction, claimed the project would be completed by December this year, stating that almost 80 percent of the main infrastructure and 60 percent of the 2,300-metre connecting road have been completed.