DOT Desk: Existing trans- portation methods are inconvenient for the people of the area.
The locals of Bagda in the Agailjhara upazila of Barisal are experiencing difficulties with transportation as they have no bridge to cross the Sandha river, reports The Dhaka Tribune.
The situation is especially difficult for the elderly, children, and students. Distressed locals are demanding a bridge be constructed.
In order to cross the river, the residents of the two villages have to use row boats. The children, elderly, and people who do not know how to swim, risk their lives by crossing the river in such boats.
It takes around 10-15 minutes to cross the river via row boat. If they use the nearest bridge, at Poysharhaat, to cross over, it takes 40-50 minutes just to get to the other side.
The Dhaka Tribune correspondent saw about 25 people taking the row boat to cross the river; there were at least ten children and students among them. Mili Khanam, a student of Bagda School and College said: “The row boats are often late, and sometimes we do not even find a row boat. We are frequently late to class because of this.
“People are frequently injured in the process of crossing the river.”
The locals said at least a thousand people have to cross the Sandha river every day, to reach various destinations. On the west side of the river, there is a primary and secondary school, college, and madrasa. On the east side there is a union health complex and upazila parishad office.
Transportation is excessively inconvenient for the people of the area. When the weather is foul, the risk of crossing via row boat shoots up exponentially. Rain, storms, and rocky boats make crossing difficult.
Engineer Rajkumar Gain said: “We have proposed the construction of a bridge to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) authorities.
LGED has already tested the soil and is completing its assessment. We have opened an invitation to tender. ”