Bridge at Kamalnagar turns unusable sans approach roads

KAMALNAGAR, LAXMIPUR, Oct 11: A bridge built at a cost of Tk 1.06 crore over the Joy Bangla Canal in Kamalnagar Upazila of the district has remained virtually unusable for more than two years because approach roads on both sides have not been constructed, leaving thousands of residents struggling to reach markets, health-care facilities and other essential destinations.

The 15-metre bridge, completed in 2023, is flanked by narrow, damaged roads that make even bicycle travel difficult, let alone rickshaws. Residents report frequent accidents and say transporting sick people to hospitals has become a major challenge.

Located in Char Kalkini Union, the bridge connects a residential area on one side of the canal with a market and health care facilities on the other. During the rainy season, commuters must navigate mud and standing water, making travel particularly difficult for children, older people and patients.

Residents say some people carry extra clothing or towels to change into after crossing the muddy, waterlogged paths.

Kamrul Hasan, a local resident, said a clinic lies to the north and a market to the south, but the lack of proper roads makes both difficult to reach.

“There is a bridge right in front of us, but there is no road leading to it,” said school student Rahi Akter. She said the existing path is so unsafe that pedestrians risk falling. Akter said she recently broke her leg in a fall and had to be taken to a hospital by boat.

The bridge was built over the Joy Bangla Canal with funding from the Department of Disaster Management during the 2022-23 fiscal year, with the aim of improving access to the upazila headquarters in Hajirhat and the localities of Lawrence and Motirhat. However, the absence of approach roads has undermined its intended purpose.

Residents are urging authorities to build the roads promptly, saying proper access would ease daily travel, help patients reach hospitals and make it safer for students to attend school.

Kamalnagar Upazila Project Implementation Officer Paritosh Kumar Biswas said the bridge proposal had been submitted before he took office and was subsequently implemented. He acknowledged that an approach road was also planned.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Rahat Uz Zaman said the issue had come to the administration’s attention and that a request for government funding to build the approach roads had already been submitted. “Work will begin soon once the funds are allocated,” he said.