Faridpur Correspondent: A bridge under construction at a cost of about Tk 5 crore has collapsed on the Majhikanda Talmar Canal of Laskardia Uni in Nagarkanda Upazila of Faridpur. The bridge collapsed on Saturday, March 25.
Residents complained that the bridge is collapsing due to gross irregularities in its construction. The contractor is renovating the collapsed bridge.
Upazila Assistant Engineer (SO in charge of the bridge) Miran Hossain said, ‘The bridge collapsed due to its high height. We have never done such high bridge work before. Before the bridge collapsed, the Project Director (PD) from Dhaka visited the bridge and gave instructions to construct the bridge very quickly. We are trying to complete the construction of the bridge within 15 days.
In this regard, the owner of the contracting company, Rezaul Karim, could not be found, even after several contacts. He did not receive the phone.
Apart from this, the mobile phone of Nagarkanda Upazila Engineer Mosharof Hossain was not available, even after several attempts to contact him. It was not possible to know the statement because he did not receive the mobile phone.
Shahiduzzaman Khan, executive engineer of Faridpur’s LGED (local government department), said, “Such incidents have happened because staging was not done well. This happened because the bottom end didn’t do as it should have. This is a major disaster for a contractor. The contractor has to take responsibility for this damage.
He also said, ‘There is no chance or possibility of the quality of the work being bad. Both side castings need to be broken and restaged. There is no scope for fresh allotment for this. The contractor has to fix it at his own expense.
