Starting in 2018, the construction work has not been completed even after six and a half years of extension. Due to complications in the design of the bridge, the construction cost of the bridge has increased from Tk 65 crore to Tk 135 crore.
According to the information of the road department, the construction work of Kalia Baripara bridge over Navganga river started in 2018 under the supervision of road department to facilitate road communication with Narail Sadar along with Kalia upazila, Bagerhat, Khulna, Gopalganj. The contract price for the construction of the 651.83 meter long and 10.25 meter wide PC girder bridge is around Tk 65 crore. The contractor M/s Jamil Iqbal and Moinuddin Construction got the work of construction of the bridge.
They have been accused of starting work at a slow pace with few workers from the beginning. Later, the work was further delayed due to Corona. Then the design complexities were discovered. Work stops. Later, the work of installing 15 piers and 11 spans along with the connection road of the two banks of the river was extended by two rounds, but the work of installing 3 spans in the middle part is still left.
Among them, on June 20, 2020, pillar No. 9 was hit and damaged by a bulkhead, and on September 6, 2021, after pillar No. 9 was again lost under the river due to the impact of a bulkhead, the road department terminated the first term contract leaving the installation of 4 piers and 3 spans of the main part incomplete. With that contracting company. Later, in the second period, Concrete and Steel Technologists Ltd. was contracted to construct the rest of the bridge.
According to the contractor, two more spans including 86.73 meter steel arch span imported from abroad and piling of additional piers have started.
Dr. Madhavpasha village. Asim Kumar Adhikari said, we had long dreamed of the bridge. Saw the implementation process. But the reality is that the bridge has not been completed even in six or seven years. Kaliya residents will be greatly benefited to communicate with Narail if the bridge is built.
Shariful Sardar of Bishnapur village said, ‘The bridge has not been completed for six and a half years. We are suffering a lot. The boat has to be crossed at risk. If the work of the bridge was completed soon, the traffic would have ended.’
District Road Department Executive Engineer Nazrul Islam said, BIDBISNUTA authority sent the report to us as ‘C’ grade river. Later BIDBISNUTA authorities changed the grade of Navganga river and reported it as ‘B’ grade river. Later, according to their report, the design of the bridge needed to be changed. In 2023 ECNEC meeting approved to change the design and install steel span.
In the second term, another contractor has been contracted and has already started working. The work of the bridge will be completed in June 2025.
