Md. Ayub Miyaji, Chandnaish: Hundreds of thousands of people of Chandnaish and Satkania (Mid Charati village) living on the two banks of the Sangu river between the two upazilas of Chittagong are suffering endlessly due to the lack of a bridge. Although the residents of this area are voters of Ward No. 2 of Charti Union in Satkania, the area is under the registration of Mauja Chandanish Barma. Therefore, it is known that local residents are in a dilemma over whether to pay the rent of the place to the government.
The 300-foot bamboo bridge built to cross the river at the junction of two upazilas shows how important a permanent bridge is here for the movement of people. But after the river broke, Barma No. 8 Ward Bataijuri and Jatarkul, and Ward No. 9 Char Barma of Chandanish Upazila were changed to Barma sheets and connected to Satkania’s Madhya Charti. Even after 25 years, the stakeholders did not realize that this matter was of public interest.
The lessee of the ghat in the area did not stop even if those who were responsible for building this bridge in the public interest did not do it. Farooq Hossain. Under his leadership, he built a 300-foot Sanko as a means of easy communication 2 years ago for the needs of the local people. Thousands of young people, old people, farmers, students, and professionals from both sides are crossing the river at the risk of their lives. People here have to cross this river by boat during the monsoon season. For education, the people of this area have to go to Barma Trahi Menka High School, Barma Senior Madrasa, and Barma College after finishing primary school and Forkaniya education.
The lessee of the ghat Farooq Hossain said that most of the people in this area live below the poverty line, so the fare is 10 taka. However, since he does not forcefully collect the rent, it is not possible to take it properly. However, he said that he pays 40,000 taka annually as revenue to the government.
Manjur Alam (70), a resident of this area, said that due to the erosion of conch shells, he has changed his residence 11 times and is spending his family life with his 2 sons, 1 daughter, and his wife on a boat.
Farmer Md. Ilyach (60) said that he is living by farming after being a victim of river erosion six times. They complain that they do not get any help from the government. Locals demand the construction of a bridge with Jatarmukh Ghat in Chandanish for convenience in road communication.
Hanif, a member of Madhyam Charati’s 2nd Ward, said that most of the people living on this island are from Satkania upazila. They exercised suffrage in Satkaniya. However, two Mauzas of the place belong to Chandanish Barma Union.
Jaydev Ganguly, member of Ward No. 8 Bataijuri and Jatarkul of Burma Union, said that in the past, in 1996, the Minister of Water Resources of the League government, Abdur Razzak, saw the breach of the Sangu river and tried to prevent the breach with stones, but this area was not saved. In this breakdown, nature has separated even its own brother from many families. Separated families are spoken to together at the weekly market. He said that they always wanted to live a social life together, as before.
Chairman of the Barma Union. Khorshed Alam Titu said that in the middle Charati section that rises on the heart of the Shankh River, he claims that there is a place for the Charati Mauza of Satkaniya as well as the sheet part of the Barma Mauza of Chandnaish. So the residents of Madhya Charati have applied many times, expressing their interest in joining Chandanish Varma. However, they have no objection to the way the government decides.
Chandnaish Upazila Engineer Muhammad Junaid Abshar Chowdhury said that after seeing the floating bridge on the water, the president of the South District Puja Celebration Committee is preparing a report in view of the application to the Chittagong Local Engineering Directorate, Executive Engineer. He also said that since this is the parliamentary area of Chittagong-15 Constituency, the office of Territory Satkania Upazila Engineer will know more about this, and it would be better if they took the necessary initiatives.
Realizing the matter, the conscious community said that it is the need of the hour to build a bridge over the Sankh river, even on a temporary basis.
