Communication between two unions in Kutubdia upazila of Cox’s Bazar has been disrupted after the old Shahjir Para bridge collapsed on Monday morning following two days of heavy rainfall.
The collapse of the bridge, located in Lemsikhali Union, has brought movement between Lemsikhali and Kaiyarbil unions to a standstill, causing severe inconvenience to thousands of residents.
The bridge, which was built around two decades ago, had remained in a dilapidated and risky condition for a long time. Although it had already become unsuitable for vehicular movement, local people continued to use it on foot as the only connecting route between the two unions.
Residents, including Shahjir Para Government Primary School Headmaster Mujibur Rahman and local businessman Ramzan Ali, said people had been compelled to cross the damaged structure despite the safety risks.
The bridge finally collapsed at around 10:00am on Monday after heavy rainfall continued for two consecutive days.
Lemsikhali Union Parishad Chairman Aktar Hossain blamed administrative negligence for the situation, saying repeated requests had been submitted to the relevant authorities seeking either repairs to the unsafe bridge or construction of a new one.
“Despite repeated applications, no effective steps were taken,” he said.
Kutubdia Upazila Engineer Abu Uddin said a proposal had earlier been submitted for constructing a new bridge beside the existing one.
He added that following Monday’s collapse, necessary information had been sent to the higher authorities on an urgent basis to take measures to restore communication between the two unions.
