Thousands Form Human Chain in Barguna's Amtoli Demanding a Girder Bridge, 50,000 People Suffering

Several thousand people have formed a human chain in Amtoli, Barguna, demanding a girder bridge over the Amragachia river. The iron bridge near Khekuyari Bazar has long been risky and unfit for vehicles, leaving at least 50,000 people in two unions suffering and disrupting the transport and marketing of agricultural produce.

The human chain was held at around 11:30 am on Friday in the area adjoining Khekuyari Bazar.

According to local sources, the Amragachia, a branch of the Payra river, flows around the Gulishakhali, Kukuia and Atharogachia unions of Amtoli upazila. At least one lakh people in the three unions depend on the river. At one time, more than 10 ferry boats operated to cross it.

In 2001, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) built an iron bridge near Khekuyari Bazar. But in 2010 the bridge's beam bent and subsided.

After years of risky use, the LGED declared the bridge highly risky in 2020 and stopped vehicle movement over it. Since then, communication and agricultural transport for the people of Gulishakhali and Kukuia unions have become harder.

Gulishakhali union produces watermelons worth about 50 crore taka every year. But as goods-laden vehicles cannot cross the bridge, wholesale buyers do not want to come, leaving watermelon farmers facing losses. Trade at Khekuyari Bazar has also been negatively affected.

At the human chain, chaired by former Amtoli upazila BNP joint convener Md Tofazzal Howlader, speakers included Md Delwar Munshi, lecturer Faruk Hossain, Mosharraf Hossain Molla, Kabir Panchayet, Momen Akon, Mostafa Gharami and UP member Chhattar Mia, among other local figures.

The speakers said the bridge was built in 2001 to reduce people's suffering, but irregularities in its construction made it unusable within a short time. Vehicle movement over it has been stopped for more than five years. They demanded a girder bridge be built quickly at the site of the old bridge.

Amtoli upazila LGED engineer Md Idris Mia said a girder bridge will be built quickly at the site of the Khekuyari Bazar iron bridge. A proposal for the bridge has already been sent, and work on its design is under way, he said.