A Correspondent:
Gaibandha: Final preparations are underway to inaugurate the much-awaited Teesta Bridge, officially named Maulana Hamid Bhasani Bridge, which connects Horipur Keyaghat under Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha district with Chilmari Kheyaghat under Chilmari upazila of Kurigram today.
Adviser for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan is expected to inaugurate the bridge as the chief guest.
Residents of Gaibandha and Kurigram had long been demanding a bridge over the Teesta River to ease communication between the two districts. Responding to the demand, the then government approved the project in principle, and construction work began in 2012. Although originally scheduled for completion in 2023, the work has now been finalized.
The 1,490-meter bridge, built at a cost of Tk 885 crore, has been implemented by LGED with joint funding from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and the Government of Bangladesh.
The China State Construction Engineering Corporation constructed the bridge under LGED supervision.
As part of the project, a 25-km flood control embankment from Horipur bridge point to Sundarganj upazila town and a 50-km connecting road from Dhaperhat under Sadullapur upazila to Horipur bridge have also been completed.
Of the total expenditure, Tk 279.47 crore was spent on the main bridge, Tk 10.25 crore on road con-struction, Tk 8.55 crore on river management, and Tk 6 crore on land acquisition, the LGED official said.
The bridge consists of 30 pillars – 28 within the river and two on its banks. Around 3.15 km of the river has been brought under management, while roads have been constructed on 57.3 km on both sides of the bridge, including 7.3 km from Chilmari to Matikata and 50 km from Dhaperhat to Horipur.
Once opened, the bridge will reduce travel distance between Gaibandha and Kurigram by about 135 km, significantly easing movement and trade.
The bridge is also expected to benefit farmers in Rajibpur, Chilmari, and Rowmari upazilas of Ku-rigram, as well as Sundarganj and adjoining areas of Gaibandha, by ensuring timely transport of agricul-tural products to major cities.
“This will bring a major boost to the socio-economic development of the northern region,” Chowdhury said, adding that it is the largest bridge ever constructed by LGED in the country.
