Residents of Beanibazar Upazila in Sylhet have been demanding the construction of a concrete bridge over the Patan-Phulmalik Karati canal for the past 54 years, but their call has largely been ignored. As a result, more than 20,000 people, including schoolchildren, are facing problems every day.
Locals say that the only road connecting Phulmalik-Ghaghua village in Alinagar Union is divided by the Patan-Phulmalik Karati canal. For want of a concrete bridge over the canal, the area is cut off from basic services and facilities. To cross the canal, villagers have built a makeshift bamboo bridge. Though this bridge can be used during the dry season, it is often destroyed by strong currents during the monsoon.
People find it very difficult to take their patients to the hospital through the bamboo bridge. During the rainy season, the bamboo bridge frequently tilts or collapses, putting people’s lives at risk. Disadvantaged communities are affected severely. Local farmers also face difficulties transporting their produce to markets.
In 2019, villagers made contributions amounting to Tk 150,000 to construct the bamboo footbridge. However, the devastating floods washed it away in 2022, prompting villagers to build a smaller bridge. The 2024 floods again destroyed the bridge, forcing residents to risk crossing the canal on a fragile structure.
The canal has divided the villages of Patan and Phulmalik, and villagers are urging the authorities concerned to construct a concrete bridge to establish modern connectivity.
Local resident Akmal Ali said that a few months ago, the family of a deceased young man faced immense difficulty bringing his body home for want of a bridge. “Eventually, a few villagers had to carry the body on their shoulders,” he said.
Another young resident, Abdul Karim, said, “I doubt whether any such dilapidated bridge exists anywhere else. Governments change, but our fate does not.”
According to sources, three years ago, the Upazila Engineering Office submitted a proposal to the Ministry for building a bridge under the project aimed at addressing the problems facing local residents. However, no clear information about the bridge’s construction has been revealed even as the project period comes to an end.
Upazila Engineer Deepak Kumar Das confirmed that a preliminary proposal for building a bridge over the Patan-Phulmalik Karati canal was sent to the Ministry in 2022 under the “Under 100-Metre Bridge Project,” but there has been no further update on its progress.
Meanwhile, UK-based Bangladeshi leader and CEO & MD of Beanibazar Cancer and General Hospital Foundation, Mohammad Sab Uddin, submitted a memorandum to the Sylhet Divisional Commissioner, DIG, Deputy Commissioner, and LGED Executive Engineer on Sunday, urging immediate action to construct the bridge.
