PM to inaugurate 2nd Teesta Road Bridge Sunday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to formally inaugurate the second Teesta Road Bridge constructed on the Teesta at the juncture of Rangpur and Lalmonirhat through a videoconferencing from Ganabhaban on Sunday.

A wave of cheerfulness caught the people in adjoining six upazilas of Rangpur and Lalmonirhat districts giving a festive look before the videoconferencing to be held on Lalmonirhat end of the bridge at 11.30 am. Reports BSS.

Rangpur and Lalmonirhat district administrations, Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) and law enforcement agencies have completed preparations to arrange videoconferencing of the Prime Minister.

Deputy Commissioners Enamul Habib of Rangpur and Mohammad Shafiul Arif of Lalmonirhat told reporters that preparations were completed for the videoconferencing to be held on north side of the bridge under Kaliganj upazila.

Public representatives, government officials, political leaders, civil society members and elite of both districts will attend the videoconferencing at Lalmonirhat end.

Kaliganj Upazila Engineer of LGED Parvez Newaz Khan said the LGED has constructed the pre-stressed concrete girder bridge at around Taka 123-crore after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated its construction works on April 12 in 2012.

“Commissioning of the bridge will improve communication networks paving the way to accelerate economic progress in the region side by side with promoting international trade through the Burimari Land Port (BLP),” he said.

The 850-metre long bridge with 9.60-metre width, including footpaths in both sides, has been constructed on 16 pillars with 17 spans on 85 girders and two apartment walls on the river Teesta at the juncture of Rangpur and Lalmonirhat districts.

“The Prime Minister will formally inaugurate the bridge on Sunday to fulfill another long-cherished demand of over 18-lakh people of adjoining six upazilas of Rangpur and Lalmonirhat,” Khan added.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) of Rangpur Rabiul Islam said commissioning of the second Teesta Road Bridge would contribute to speed up progress for bringing socio-economic benefits to the common people.

“The bridge will open a new door to development improving communication system to expand regional and international trade and promote agriculture and other sectors to change socio-economic conditions of the people,” he said.

Talking to BSS in each side of the bridge, local people Shamsul Haque, Armina Begum and Abdul Mannan said the bridge would establish direct communication with divisional city of Rangpur, capital city Dhaka and other parts of the country.

“The Teesta was the main obstacle so far for the people of six upazilas for direct road communication between Lalmonirhat and Rangpur districts,” said housewife Kobiza Khatun of adjoining Mohipur village.

Kaliganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rabiul Hassan said the bridge would reduce 60-km distance between Dhaka and Rangpur with BLP to pave the way for increasing international trade among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN).

President of Rangpur Chamber Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu said commissioning of the bridge would ease shipping of export-import goods and encourage joint investments in the region to enhance international trade among the BBIN nations through the BLP.

AH