Staff Reporter:
The 1,490-meter-long ‘Mawlana Bhashani Bridge’, constructed over the Teesta River in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha district, opened to traffic yesterday with a hope of unlocking new doors for re-gional connectivity and development.
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain yester-day formally inaugurated the bridge constructed over the Teesta River on the Panchpir Bazar–Chilmari Upazila Sadar.
On the occasion, officials of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Gaibandha Depu-ty Commissioner (DC) office and a delegation from Saudi Arabia were present.
LGED constructed the bridge with 1,490 meters in length and 9.60 meters in width at a cost of Taka 925 crore, jointly funded by the government of Bangladesh (GoB), the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). The bridge is featured with 155 girders.
China State Construction Engineering Corporation constructed the bridge as the prime contractor.
Officials said the newly constructed bridge will significantly improve connectivity between Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha and Chilmari upazila in Kurigram. This enhanced linkage will reduce travel time and costs, fostering industrial and agricultural production as well as the establishment of small and me-dium enterprises.
Additionally, with better connectivity and a stronger road network across both banks of the river, the region’s education system is expected to expand and improve.
The project would generate employment opportunities for the local poor in both the short and long term, contributing to socio-economic development and national economic growth.
The bridge would also boost tourism and establish a new transport corridor, reducing the distance be-tween Gaibandha district and the capital Dhaka by about 100 kilometers.
