Delay in constructing Tangail bridge prolongs people's misery

TANGAIL, July 29:  Construction of a bridge over the New Dhaleswari River in Tangail's Kalihati Upazila has remained stalled for nearly six years due to disputes among contractors, delaying a key alternative route to the Jamuna Bridge-Dhaka highway and causing hardship for thousands of commuters.

According to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the 264-metre pre-stressed concrete girder bridge at Jokarchar was approved at a cost of Tk 34.15 crore. The project was awarded in September 2020 to a joint venture comprising Haidar Construction Pvt Ltd, Abani Enterprise and Syed Mojibur Rahman, with completion scheduled for September 2023.

A recent visit to the site found that only three bridge piers - two on the left bank and one on the right bank of the river - had been completed.

LGED officials said the lead contractor had withdrawn Tk 9.81 crore in bills after completing the three piers, but construction later came to a halt.

Residents said different representatives of the contracting firms occasionally visited the site to take measurements or bring construction materials, but no substantial work followed.

Syed Mojibur Rahman, one of the joint venture partners, alleged that the other two partners had initially authorised him to complete the project. He claimed to have invested around Tk 3 crore in 2021 before another partner, Hekmat Ali of Abani Enterprise, halted the work.

He further alleged that Hekmat later transferred the project to another contractor using forged signatures, triggering legal disputes among the partners.

Gazipur-based contractor Rafiqul Islam claimed he paid Tk 2.58 crore to Hekmat Ali for the project but later discovered the documents contained forged signatures. He alleged he has yet to recover the money.

LGED officials said disputes among the contractors prevented the project from progressing. Following the change in government last August, the lead contractor allegedly went into hiding, leaving the bridge unfinished.

Recognising the importance of the bridge, LGED floated a fresh tender in March this year. The contract, valued at Tk 34.45 crore, was awarded to Chowdhury-Elhoj Joint Venture, which has been given 22 months to complete the project.

Local residents said the bridge would connect the char areas west of Tangail town with the eastern end of the Jamuna Bridge, creating an alternative route to the Dhaka-Jamuna Bridge highway and easing traffic congestion, particularly during Eid holidays.

Tangail LGED Executive Engineer Jahanara Parveen said the previous project had stalled because of conflicts among the contractors. She expressed hope that the newly appointed contractor would complete the bridge within the stipulated timeframe.