Once, villagers crossed the Chhoto Feni River by boat as there was no bridge or connecting road. Now, although a Tk 9.2 crore bridge stands over the river in Feni’s Daganbhuiyan upazila, there are still no approach roads, forcing thousands of people to use makeshift iron staircases to cross it on foot.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) built the 60-metre bridge on the Matubhuiyan-Bekar Bazar road to improve connectivity between communities on either side of the river.

Although the main bridge has been completed, the connecting roads remain unfinished, leaving the structure largely unusable years after its construction.

The absence of approach roads has made vehicular movement impossible, while the considerable difference in height between the bridge and the existing road levels also makes pedestrian access difficult.

Meanwhile, residents of Momarizpur have alleged that a temporary embankment built across the river during construction obstructs the natural flow of water, causing floodwater to spill into their homes and damage houses, tube wells and toilets.

Iron staircases offer temporary relief

With construction of the connecting roads yet to begin, Nasir Uddin, secretary of the Feni district unit of Amra-e July Joddha and joint convener of the Daganbhuiyan upazila unit of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, took the initiative to install iron staircases at both ends of the bridge.

He said construction of the approach roads to the Ashrafpur-Momarizpur connecting bridge will take considerable time as the work has yet to go through the tendering process.

To ease the daily travel difficulties of local residents, particularly students attending nearby schools and madrasahs, two iron staircases were installed to allow pedestrians to climb onto the elevated bridge.

The staircases, each 23 feet high and two and a half feet wide, were installed at a cost of Tk 1 lakh, with financial assistance from Abdul Awal Mintoo, MP from Feni-3 constituency and environment, forest and climate change minister, said Nasir.

Although the arrangement has provided a temporary way to cross the river, residents say it cannot replace proper connecting roads.

Abdul Kalam, a resident of Momarizpur, said the staircases would ease some of the difficulties faced by students and other residents who depend on the crossing for their daily travel.

Residents allege flood damage during construction

Residents of Momarizpur have also raised concerns about the impact of the bridge construction on their homes and properties.

Fatema Khatun and Rahima Begum, residents of the village, said a temporary embankment was built across the river during construction, restricting the natural flow of water.

They alleged that during floods, water cannot pass through the obstructed river channel and instead flows over their homesteads, causing extensive damage.

“Water flows over our homes because it cannot pass through the river. Parts of our houses, tube wells and toilets have been washed into the river, and the remaining portions are also at risk,” they said.

Land acquisition holding up road construction

Officials of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) said construction of the connecting roads had been delayed by complications involving land acquisition.

Md Ashraf Jamil, executive engineer of LGED in Feni, said a requisition for land acquisition had been submitted to the deputy commissioner’s office.

“The land required for the connecting roads will be acquired. We have submitted a requisition to the deputy commissioner. We hope the complications surrounding the land acquisition will be resolved soon,” he said.

Feni Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Mahbubul Karim acknowledged that the bridge could not be made fully operational because of the missing approach roads.

He said effective measures will be taken to resolve the problem and that compensation funds for land acquisition will be used to make the bridge accessible.

For local residents, particularly students and people travelling for their daily needs, the iron staircases have provided some temporary relief.

But until the land acquisition issues are resolved and the approach roads are constructed, the bridge will remain largely inaccessible to vehicles and difficult to use for many pedestrians.