New wooden bridge disappears into river within four months in Gaibandha

•    20,000 villagers affected
•    Allegations of misusing public funds by engineer-contractor nexus raised
 
GAIBANDHA, Sept 6: An alarming example of alleged misuse of public funds has emerged in Gaibandha, where a wooden bridge built at a cost of Tk 7 lakh disappeared into a river just three and a half months after its inauguration.

Locals alleged that a nexus between the concerned engineer and contractors carried out substandard work and pocketed most of the allocated funds.

During a visit to Baniarjan area of Ward No 7 of the Gaibandha municipality on Saturday, this correspondent found no trace of the wooden bridge over the Alai River, which had railings made of wood and bamboo.

The bridge tilted a few days ago due to the river’s mild current. Despite the risk, locals continued using it to cross the river. After it eventually collapsed completely, communication between several villages, including Koyarpara, Chhaygharia, Falia and Chandia under Boali Union, has been disrupted, affecting around 20,000 people.

Locals said they had previously relied on bamboo footbridges built with their own contributions. Later, the District Council allocated Tk 7 lakh to construct a permanent bridge to ease their sufferings.
However, they alleged that the actual work was worth less than Tk 3 lakh.

Farid Mia, a resident of Baniarjan, said the bridge was built with low-quality timber and its concrete pillars were not installed deep enough.

“We protested against the irregularities in the work, but nobody paid any heed. The work was approved in exchange for bribes, and District Council engineer Harun was the main person behind it,” he alleged.
Pedestrian Razak Mia said locals had hoped the bridge would ease their daily hardships, but they are now suffering even more.

“Thousands of people now have to take a long detour to travel to the district town,” he said.

When contacted several times by phone about the allegations, District Council engineer Harun avoided responding directly.

District council Chief Executive Officer Bipul Chandra Das said they had learned about the matter but could not take immediate action.

“We have learned about the issue. However, there is no scope for taking immediate action at this moment. An initiative will be taken to reconstruct the bridge next season,” he said.

Angered by what they described as blatant waste and alleged corruption involving public funds, locals have demanded an impartial investigation and legal action against the engineer, contractor and others responsible.