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Around 15,000 people of different villages at Taraganj upazila in Rangpur district are suffering much owing to absence of a concrete bridge over the Jomuneshwari river in Joybangla Ghat area of Hariarkuthi union under the upazila.
The people of 10 villages including Telipara, Machhuapara, Lalpara and Burirhat of the upazila have been suffering miserably for long, as these areas are detached from the upazila headquarters due to absence of a permanent bridge.
As the successive local government authorities could not build a bridge over the river despite making pledges for long the people of the areas became disappointed.
Finding no other better alternative, the local people voluntarily erected a bamboo bridge over the river to ease the communication problem. Everyday thousands of people use the bamboo structure risking their lives as the bridge swing while they move on it.
Business as well as other services are facing severe setback in the area as the local people living both sides of the river cannot travel easily between the upazila headquarter due to lack of a permanent bridge over the river.
The buyers even cannot reach the village markets with their transports to purchase agricultural products due to lack of a concrete bridge over the river.
The school going children face great difficulties in reaching their institutions through the bamboo bridge. Most of them do not go to school in the rainy season for fear of accidents on the bridge, locals alleged.
"The bridge becomes risky in the monsoon. The bamboos get slippery and we cannot cross it easily. Sometimes the bamboos get damaged, yet we have to cross the bridge every day", said Atiar Mia, a resident of village Telipara.
Expressing frustration local people said that whenever election comes closer candidates woo voters assuring them of erecting a bridge over the river but once the election is over the elected local representatives forget the commitment.
In order to get rid of such adverse circumstances the local people made an appeal to the government to take adequate measures to build a permanent bridge over the river in the area.