Bridge collapse causes long-term woe to 20,000 villagers
Over 20,000 people from 12 villages in Melandah upazila's Kulia union in Jamalpur have been suffering for eight months since the lone bridge on Sadipati-Tonki road over Balidakhali canal at Sadipati village collapsed during last year's flood.
The canal flowing through the middle of the village divides 11 other villages into eastern and western sides.
Kulia, Tarakandi, Ukhretair, Bhaluka, Chinitola, Ballavpur villages are on the eastern side, while Pochabahela, Davshai, Pugli, Shirighat and Teghoria villages are on the western side.
Around 10,000 people live in six the eastern villages and 8,000 people in the five western villages, while around 2,500 people live in Sadipati village itself.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) built a 160 foot long concrete bridge over the canal in 1990 to facilitate smooth transportation for the villagers.
Since the bridge collapsed during the flood in August, 2015, commuters from both sides have been facing severe troubles to reach their intended destinations. The people of Sadipati are the worst affected as they usually go to both the eastern and the western sides with regularity, villagers said.
As the Sadipati Government Primary School is on the western side, around 200 children from the eastern villages take great risks to go to school over the collapsed bridge.
Besides, farmers face many problems in carrying their agricultural products to markets located on the western side due to the collapsed bridge.
A large number of school and college-going students of the five western villages are facing the same ordeal while going to Jobaida Jabbar High School and Alea Azam College, which are located at Tonki Bazar area on the eastern side.
Relatives of serious patients, especially pregnant women, from the western villages are suffering as they cannot reach Melandah Upazila Health Complex by motor vehicle or even rickshaw van, he added.
Contacted, Md Shafiqul Islam, government engineer of the upazila, said he had sent a proposal for the construction of a 90-metre bridge over the canal last November, but to no effect.
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