A bridge in Haliport area in Charbhadrasan upazila has not been used for five years as the approach road on one side collapsed within one year after it was built.

Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation built the 40-feet-long and 14-feet-wide bridge over a canal beside an old bridge in the same area during the 2011-2012 fiscal year at a cost of Tk. 19,98,851. The new bridge was inaugurated by the then Member of Parliament Nilufar Jafarullah.

During a recent visit, this correspondent found that local people still use the old, risky bridge beside the new bridge to go to their destinations.

Locals said thousands of people of five villages under Charbhadrasan union still use the old bridge every day facing serious problems. The old bridge, which was built in 1985, became unusable, so they demanded a new bridge there, adding that the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation built a new bridge in the fiscal year 2011-2012.

The earthen approach road on one side of the new bridge collapsed within one year, so the villagers use the old bridge as there is no other option, they said.

“People of three villages use the road on which the bridge was built to go to the upazila headquarters, but they are using the old and risky bridge instead of the new one,” said Charbhadrasan Union Parishad Member Fajlur Rahman.

“The bridge is of no use to us without approach road. We are victims of negligence of the authorities,” said Pannu Sheikh, a resident of the area.

“A concrete road will built over the bridge very soon, and we will fill up the approach road then,” said Charbhadrasan Upazila Engineer Nur Mohammad Mollah.