Tk 58 Crore, Five Years of Failure, Two Unfinished Bridges: Shariatpur Commuters Bear the Brunt
Unfinished bridge construction over the Kirtinasha River in Shariatpur has been causing severe suffering to commuters for two years. Work on the two key structures, a 190-meter bridge at Premtala in Sadar Upazila and a 150-meter bridge at Kazirhat in Zanjira Upazila, began under a BDT 58 crore project to ease travel toward Dhaka via the Padma Bridge. However, after achieving only 60 percent progress at Kazirhat and 80 percent at Premtala, the project remains completely stalled, leaving nearly 20,000 daily commuters reliant on two severely dilapidated 35-year-old narrow bridges constructed by LGED in 1991.
The regional road connecting Shariatpur to Zanjira’s Naodoba saw a massive surge in traffic following the opening of the Padma Bridge, with over 250 passenger buses and up to 450 vehicles crossing these crossing points daily. Because the old bridges are only three meters wide, opposing vehicles cannot cross simultaneously, creating severe daily gridlocks. Local commuters and transport workers have expressed deep frustration over the persistent delays. Driver Shishir Hossain shared, ‘While driving to Dhaka every day, I get stuck in traffic jams for 20 to 25 minutes in the Kazirhat area, causing immense frustration for passengers.’
Economic activities and long-distance transport have been heavily impacted by the standstill, adding significant travel time for residents traveling across the district. Business owners navigating this vital corridor frequently face long delays due to bottlenecked traffic near the incomplete structures. Delwar Hossain, a businessman from Gosairhat Upazila, mentioned, ‘Traveling from Naodoba in Zanjira to the old bridge in Kazirhat results in an additional delay of 25 to 30 minutes due to gridlock.’ Meanwhile, heavy vehicles occasionally risk crossing the unfinished main structure of the Premtala bridge to avoid the hazardous old bridge.
The project was jointly awarded to Jamil Iqbal Limited and Mozaharul Enterprise on April 1, 2021, with an original completion deadline of December 2022. Despite three deadline extensions and withdrawing BDT 44.82 crore from the original BDT 58 crore budget, the contractor has now applied for a fourth extension alongside an additional cost demand of BDT 6.90 crore. Defending the delays and additional budget request, Kingshuk Mondal, an engineer representing the contracting firm, stated, ‘After receiving the work order during the COVID-19 pandemic, the work could not be completed on time due to land acquisition issues, political instability, and other challenges.’
In response to the growing public discontent and ongoing delays, authorities have initiated measures to process the contractor’s claims while pressing for rapid execution. Letters have been officially dispatched to urge the contractor to resume site activities and fulfill their contractual commitments without further delay. Monowarul Islam, Executive Engineer of the Shariatpur RHD Office, stated, ‘Letters have been sent to the contracting firm urging them to complete the work swiftly. The proposal for the cost escalation has been forwarded to the ministry, and efforts are underway to complete the construction and open the bridges for public use as soon as a decision is received.’
