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A bridge built at a cost of nearly Tk 130 million over the Eidgaon Canal in Cox’s Bazar has remained unusable for almost five years due to the absence of approach roads, forcing local residents to climb a bamboo ladder to cross the structure.
The 90-metre-long and 13-metre-wide bridge, constructed by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Gazalia of Eidgaon Upazila, has become a symbol of stalled development rather than improved connectivity.
With no official access roads on either side, the bridge has never been opened to traffic despite the completion of the main structure years ago.
Frustrated by years of inaction, local residents on Saturday installed a large bamboo ladder through voluntary efforts to make the bridge accessible. Hundreds of people, including schoolchildren, women and elderly residents, are now using the makeshift ladder every day, risking their lives to cross.
Residents say it is ironic that while the government spent crores of taka constructing the bridge, they have been left to build their own access using bamboo because the connecting roads were never completed.
According to locals, the bridge would provide a vital transport link between Eidgaon Upazila and the hilly areas of Eidgarh, Baishari and Garjania once it becomes operational.
They also say the bridge would offer a safer alternative to the existing Eidgaon-Eidgarh road, where travellers frequently face robberies, abductions and muggings at notorious locations such as Himchhari, Khet and Santatara Dala. Opening the bridge could significantly improve security and ease travel for thousands of people living in the region.
Residents blame poor planning, complications in land acquisition, official negligence and the contractor’s failure to complete the project for the prolonged delay.
Acting Chairman of Islamabad Union Parishad Nurul Islam said the bridge has become a pressing demand of local people and urged authorities to resolve land-related disputes and complete the approach roads without further delay.
Union Parishad member Zubaid Ullah Jewel said part of the western approach road falls on privately owned land, creating initial complications. He added that after the country’s political changes on August 5, 2024, the contractor abandoned the unfinished work, leaving the project in uncertainty.
Eidgaon Upazila LGED Engineer Al Muin Shahriar said the previous contract had been cancelled after the contractor failed to complete the approach roads within the stipulated time.
He said the process of issuing a new tender for the remaining work is in its final stage and construction will resume as soon as the necessary administrative procedures are completed.
Until then, the multi-million-taka bridge remains a stranded piece of infrastructure, with local residents relying on a bamboo ladder instead of the promised road network.