In Pirojpur's Nesarabad, Napitkhali bridge work halted for six months after piling only

Construction of the Napitkhali bridge in Jalabari union of Nesarabad upazila in Pirojpur has been halted for about six months. For the bridge, being built with an allocation of Tk 22 crore, work has not advanced beyond canal training, or piling.

Nine months of the fixed 17-month period have already passed, with eight months remaining. Yet the main work on the bridge has not even begun. Local residents therefore fear that construction of the 79.42-metre-long bridge will not be finished within this period.

The slow pace of construction has caused anger and frustration among local people who travel this route. They fear that accidents and hardship from using the risky old bridge beside it will be prolonged further.

Meanwhile, although the piling work in the canal has not been fully completed, the contractor that received the work order has been paid 40 percent of the bill, according to the executive engineer of the Pirojpur Roads and Highways Department (RHD) office. The contractor claims it has completed 30 percent of the work.

According to the RHD's Pirojpur office, the old bridge over the Napitkhali canal on the Nesarabad-Swarupkathi to Pirojpur road has become risky. The foundation stone for the new bridge beside it was inaugurated on March 9 this year by Ahmad Sohel Manjur, state minister for housing and public works and MP for Pirojpur-2 (Kaukhali, Bhandaria and Nesarabad). The work order went to the contractor Orient Trading and Builders. The project implementation deadline ends on July 7 next year.

Md Farid Sheikh, a resident of the Napitkhali area, said the current bridge is extremely risky. Work on the new bridge beside it started but stopped after two or three months. If work proceeds at this slow pace, they are anxious about when construction will ever be finished.

Former Jalabari union parishad chairman Md Mehedi Sarwar said the bridge is one of the most important means of road communication between the upazila and the district town. A new bridge was undertaken because the old one is risky, but construction has stopped after only some work was done.

Gautam Saha, a representative of Orient Trading and Builders in charge of supervising the construction, said work was halted for about five months because of the strong current in the canal. Work will resume after the coming Kali Puja, and workers have been spoken to. Of the 68 piles for the bridge, 48 have been installed in the canal; the remaining piles will be placed in phases. However, he said completing the entire bridge could take about two more years.

The company's director, Md Masud Khan, said land acquisition for the bridge's approach road is not included in the project. As a result, time was spent arranging land through negotiation with local landowners. Besides, work was not possible because of the strong current in the canal. In all, work was halted for five to six months. But 30 percent of the work has been done, and he hopes to finish within the next year.

Asked about the matter, Pirojpur RHD executive engineer Md Rasel said work is halted because of the strong current in the canal. The construction deadline for the bridge ends on July 7, 2027. So far 40 percent of the work has been implemented, and bills have been paid for the work that has been done.