Prime Minister Directs Action on Proposed Shaheed Abrar Fahad Bridge over Gorai River
The Prime Minister’s Office has directed the relevant authorities to take necessary administrative steps in response to a request to build the Shaheed Abrar Fahad Bridge over the Gorai River on the Ghoraghat–Boro Bazar connecting road in Koya Union of Kumarkhali upazila, Kushtia. It has also asked the Local Government Division to submit a progress report on the steps taken.
The information was confirmed by sources at the Prime Minister’s Office on Sunday. The directive was issued in a letter dated October 10, signed by Mohammad Uzzal Hossain, Protocol Officer-1 at the Prime Minister’s Office and Member Secretary of the Coordination Cell for Implementing Commitments and Expected Programmes of Members of Parliament. The letter was sent to the secretary of the Local Government Division.
According to the letter, Mohammad Barkat Ullah, father of Shaheed Abrar Fahad, submitted an application to the Prime Minister seeking construction of the bridge over the Gorai River on the Ghoraghat–Boro Bazar connecting road in Koya Union No. 1 of Kumarkhali upazila. The Local Government Division was requested to take the necessary administrative steps and send a progress report to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The application states that nearly 200,000 people in Koya, Shilaidaha, Char Sadipur, Nandalalpur and parts of Haripur unions depend on the area for their daily needs. Every day, around 35,000 to 40,000 people cross the Gorai River by boat to travel to Kushtia town for work, education, medical treatment, firefighting services and other purposes.
The lack of a bridge causes serious hardship, particularly for children, women, elderly people, patients and pregnant women. Local residents first submitted an application for the bridge on March 6, 2025. In response, the Development-2 section of the Local Government Division asked the chief engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department to take the necessary steps in a letter dated April 30, 2025.
According to the applicants, the project director for bridges visited the proposed site on September 3, 2025. An environmental survey was conducted from October 6 to 9 that year. Later, a high-level team of engineers from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) inspected the proposed site on October 28.
The applicants believe that the bridge would improve road connectivity between the surrounding areas and Kushtia town. It would also create opportunities to expand education, healthcare, trade and industrial activities. In addition, the bridge is expected to make travel easier between Rabindranath Tagore’s Shilaidaha Kuthibari and the shrine of Fakir Lalon Sai.
Mohammad Barkat Ullah has requested the Prime Minister to take the necessary steps to build the bridge on behalf of local residents. However, the letter from the Prime Minister’s Office does not grant final approval for the bridge or announce the start of construction. It directs the authorities to take administrative action on the application and report on progress.
