RANGPUR, March 31, 2019 (BSS) – Along with easing road communication, the newly commissioned two major bridges named after Sheikh Hasina have started boosting agro-based economy in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts.
Officials of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) said the department has constructed the 850-metre Sheikh Hasina Bridge at Mohipur point at Taka 124 crore bridging Rangpur and Lalmonirhat and 950-metre Sheikh Hasina Dharla Bridge at Shimulbari point at Taka 191 crore bridging Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts.
Earlier, the Premier commissioned the Sheikh Hasina Bridge on September 15 last year and Sheikh Hasina Dharla Bridge on June 3 last year through video conferencing fulfilling long-cherished hopes of around 40-lakh people.
Additional Chief Engineer of LGED for Rangpur division AKM Harun-Ur-Rashid said the two bridges were constructed as part of massive infrastructural uplifts under 40 major projects at Taka 6,578 crore implemented in the past ten years in Rangpur division.
“Side by side with improving communication networks, the two bridges have improved economy and living standard of rural people and ensured fair price of agro-products in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts,” he added.
Talking to BSS, common people of these districts said commissioning of the bridges has opened a new horizon for quicker transportation of their agro-products to Rangpur city and other areas to get fair price.
The agro-based economic scenario has changed centering the two bridges and local farmers are getting fair prices of paddy, rice, wheat, jute, potato, vegetables, betel nut and other agro-products.
Farmer Mahtab Hossain of Purbo Ecchhlee village in Gangachara upazila here said they never got fair price of their agro-products as they could not take those timely to the towns and cities for lack of a bridge on the river Teesta at Mohipur.
“Because of the Sheikh Hasina Bridge at Mohipur point, we are quickly transporting agro-products to Rangpur City Bazar and getting fair price now. It was not possible in the pasts,” said farmer Isahaque Ali of nearby village Paschim Ecchhlee. Farmers Azizar Ali of village Fakirpara, Khottu Mian of village Barokhata, Kafil Uddin of village Kakina and Lal Mian of village Namuri and Azizur Rahman of village Polashi of different upazilas in Lalmonirhat narrated similar stories.
“Now, we can reach Rangpur City Bazar using the Sheikh Hasina Bridge at Mohipur point with agro-products within 30 minutes to get fair price from whole sellers though it took around two hours to reach Rangpur in the pasts,” said farmer Azizar.
Similarly, farmers Abu Bakker of village Naodanga and Kochhim Uddin of village Balarhat in Fulbari upazila of Kurigram said they are easily transporting agro-products to Lalmonirhat town to get fair price using the Sheikh Hasina Dharla Bridge on the Dharla.
The farmers expressed deep gratitude to Prime Minsiter Sheikh Hasina for constructing these two important bridges with toll-free movement facilities ensuring fair price of their agro-products as well as quicker movements.
They said they had to sell agro-products at throw-away prices to local middlemen and incurred huge losses for bad communication before commissioning of these two major bridges.
Talking to BSS, students Arman, Sumitra and Anufa of different villages in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for constructing the bridges to establish direct communication with Rangpur and other parts of the country.
They travelled extra 40-km distance to go to educational institutions in Rangpur from different upazilas of Lalmonirhat and Kurigram before commissioning of the bridges.
Nurul Islam of Patgram upazila in Lalmonirhat said relatives of many patients of their areas had to cross an additional 40-km road distance for the Teesta on way to Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH) on emergencies.
“With commissioning of the Sheikh Hasina Bridge at Mohipur, people of our localities are reaching at RMCH quickly at reduced costs though many critically sick patients died before reaching the hospital in the pasts,” Islam said.
President of Rangpur Chamber Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu said the two major bridges have eased rural communication creating opportunity to promote agriculture, health, education and change socio-economic conditions of common people.