A 40-foot bridge constructed over the Banar River in Mymensingh’s Fulbaria upazila has remained unused for 10 years due to the lack of an approach road on its western end, preventing hundreds of villagers from using it. The Department of Disaster Management built the structure in the 2015-16 fiscal year at a cost of Tk 30.90 lakh to connect the Shibpur-Harirambari road in Naogaon Union to the opposite bank, but that goal remains unfulfilled a decade later.
A narrow dirt road terminates at the eastern end of the bridge, while the western end facing Harirambari village leads only into crop fields, leaving no way to travel onward. Local farmer Khelu Mia said villagers have repeatedly asked the local administration and the Union Parishad to construct an approach road, but no steps have been taken. Duly Rani Das from Palashihata village noted that hundreds of residents across nearly 10 surrounding villages would benefit if the bridge were brought into service.
Local representatives cited unresolved land and funding issues for the delay. Union Parishad member Masud Sarkar said cooperation from Harirambari residents is necessary because government land designated for the road has been illegally occupied for years. Another UP member, Motaleb Hossain, said the concerned department initiated steps to build the road in 2024, but no financial allocation followed, meaning the road cannot proceed without freeing the land and obtaining funds.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shahidul Islam Sohag said he has asked the project implementation officer to submit a report on the current situation. He stated that steps to construct the approach road will be taken soon, though he did not specify a start date or the required budget.
The bridge in Naogaon Union continues to stand as a symbol of an incomplete project—a Tk 30.90 lakh structure flanked by a narrow dirt path on one side and farm fields on the other. Local residents simply demand that the bridge be put to use so that people from 10 villages can finally cross the river using the structure.
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