Construction of a 75.60-metre-long bridge on the Ahmad Nagar–Bangaon-Chatal road in Jhenaigati Upazila of Sherpur has remained incomplete even after nearly three years, causing severe hardship for around 15,000 people in the surrounding villages.
The project, scheduled for completion within 16 months, has already taken nearly three years, with the construction period extending far beyond the original deadline. Despite the incomplete work, the contractor has claimed 70 per cent progress and withdrawn nearly 60 per cent of the project’s total cost, according to LGED sources.
Local residents alleged that negligence by the contractor and indifference from the authorities concerned have kept the important infrastructure project stalled for years. As a result, people from at least 10 villages, including Bangaon, Chatal, Jigatala, Kha Para and Kalakura, are being forced to suffer every day due to the lack of a proper crossing.
According to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the construction work was jointly awarded to Mominul Haque-Swarna Bricks and Halima Enterprise.
The project began on 16 August 2023 at a cost of Tk7.48 crore. According to the agreement, the bridge was supposed to be completed by 2 January 2025.
However, as the contractor failed to complete the work within the stipulated period, an additional 16 months was granted. That extended deadline also expired last month, but the construction remains unfinished.
A recent visit to the site found that two pillars and some structural components of the bridge had been built, but a significant portion of the work was still pending.
In the absence of the bridge, local people are crossing the river through a risky bamboo footbridge. The makeshift structure becomes submerged when water levels rise during the rainy season and could collapse at any time due to sudden hill runoff.
Faruk Mia, a resident of Bangaon village, said people had been hearing promises about completing the bridge for the past three years.
“We have been suffering more during the monsoon. Patients, students and farmers face the greatest difficulties. We want an end to this hardship,” he said.
Roksana Begum, another resident, said the absence of the bridge had made it difficult for people to go to markets and send children to schools.
“The work has been going on for so long, but it is still not finished. How can a bridge be completed quickly by employing only two or three workers?” she said.
Local small trader Saiful Islam said the contractor occasionally resumed work but stopped it again for long periods.
“Ordinary people are suffering because of this. If communication does not improve, people do not even want to arrange marriages here. We want the bridge to be completed as soon as possible,” he said.
However, Harun Mia, a representative of the contractor, said an alternative bamboo bridge had already been built to reduce public suffering.
“There were some complications, but the remaining work will be completed as soon as possible. Once the bridge is finished, communication in the area will improve significantly,” he said.
Sherpur LGED Executive Engineer Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman said natural disasters and other factors had caused losses for the contractor, leading to delays.
“We are regularly monitoring the work. We hope the bridge construction will be completed during the coming dry season,” he said.
