Friday | 10 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Friday | 10 January 2025 | Epaper

Padma Bridge-Shariatpur road not completed in 4 yrs

Published : Sunday, 24 November, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 188
Abul Bashar
SHARIATPUR, Nov 23: The construction work of the 27 kilometre long two-lane connection road from Padma Bridge to Shariatpur Sadar has not been completed during the last four years. 

As a result, the people of Shariatpur are not getting the full benefits of the Padma Bridge. Only 55 per cent of the work has been completed in four years. The contractors have gone missing after digging the road. 

Lakhs of people including drivers and passengers of the vehicles on the road are suffering day by day. It takes about two/three hours to cover a distance of only 27 kilometre from Shariatpur Sadar to Padma Bridge. Fuel consumption has increased, vehicle parts are being damaged. 

The government has taken the initiative to expand the four-lane connection road between Padma Bridge and Shariatpur. Work on this project began in early 2020. Later, due to land acquisition and land complications, it was decided to initially build a two-lane road. 

A total of 27 kilometre of road from the Padma Bridge landing point Naodoba to Shariatpur Fire Service was divided into three packages. Land acquisition and road construction has been allocated 1,682 crore taka. 

Despite several extensions due to complications in land acquisition and negligence of the contractors since the beginning of the work, only 55 per cent of the work has been completed. 

There are practically no workers of the contractor on the road. The development work of the 27 kilometre long road is being carried out with a few workers and equipment. 

The condition of the road is poor and very deplorable condition. The entire road is full of potholes and debris. The sufferings of the passengers increase several times during rain. Vehicles are being damaged. 

According to the District Road Division office sources, the construction cost of this 27.013 kilometre long work has been estimated at 1,682 crore taka. The work has been divided into three packages including the road and two bridges. 

Messrs Saleh Ahmed has been awarded the work of constructing a 13-kilometre road from Shariatpur to Jajira Degree College intersection, while Messrs Mir Habibul Alam & Mahbub Traders Limited has been awarded the work of constructing a 14-kilometre road from Jajira Degree College intersection to Naodoba. 

For the past four years, there has been no progress in the work due to land complications and the negligence of the contractors. Lakhs of people in this region are suffering. The contractors have repeatedly applied for an extension of the work period.

President of the Bus Owners Association, Faruk Ahmed Talukder, said that passengers are suffering greatly due to the slow pace of road construction. Vehicles are damaged due to travelling on dilapidated roads. Vehicle parts have to be replaced constantly. 

In the case of transporting goods, one has to face various risks. Ripon Khan, owner of Shariatpur Super Service bus, said, due to the lack of road work for years, traders also suffer losses and vehicles also suffer extensive damages.

Package-3 side contractor Bakul Ahmed said, the road work is going on smoothly. Our work is being delayed due to various problems including rain. Mir Habibul Alam Construction Assistant Manager Mosharraf Hossain said, "All the materials needed to fix the road are sufficient; and the work is almost finished. We will complete the work in a few more days".

Despite all these complaints, Shariatpur District Road and Highways Department Engineer Sheikh Nabil Hossain said, the work is going on smoothly. However, he admitted that work has been stopped at one or two places due to land acquisition problem.
 
He said, due to the complexity of land acquisition for road construction, some more time is passing. The total progress of the work is about 55 per cent completed although the time has been extended till June 2026.



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