Prime minister inaugurate Mohananda Bridge  at Chapainawabganj

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is now Chapainawabganj toady and open and lay the foundation stone of nine development programmes, including the much-awaited second Mohananda Bridge on the Mohananda river.

The much-awaited Sheikh Hasina Bridge (2nd Mohananda Bridge) on the Mohananda river opened to traffic today, ending the long ordeal of over half a million people of seven unions of Sadar upazila of this northern district.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 546.60 metre-long and 8.10 metre-wide prestressed concrete girder bridge at Saheber Ghat, some three-kilometre off the district town, materialising the long-cherished dream of the people of the neglected vast char lands.

The Prime Minister opened the bridge by unveiling its plaque. A munajat was offered on the occasion.

Later, Sheikh Hasina visited the bridge after getting down from her jeep.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Shikder, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, State Minister for ICT Division Junaid Ahmed Palak, former mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation AHM Khairuzzaman Liton and local parliament members and Awami League leaders were present on the occasion.

As per the demand of the people, the Awami League government during its previous tenure took the initiatives for constructing the bridge and subsequently, the Prime Minister laid its foundation stone on April 23, 2011.

The work on the bridge which has been named after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina completed on March 10 this year.

The bridge with an approach road of 2,400 metres has been constructed in Saheber Ghat area on the Namoshangkarbati GC-Dhulauri GC Road under Chapainawabganj Sadar upazila at a cost of Taka 49.77 crore.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) implemented the project, while WMCG-Navana JV built the bridge. Apart from the main bridge, there are two small bridges---one 45 meteres and other 48 meteres---on the approach road.

With the inauguration of the bridge, more than five lakh people of seven unions of Sadar upazila -- Islampur, Devinagar, Charbagdanga, Shahjahanpur, Alatuli, Narayanpur and Sundarpur -- which remain isolated from the upazila and district headquarters will immensely benefit from it.

Sources said it will also remove the sufferings of the students and teachers of 85 government and non-government primary schools, 20 high schools, 10 dakhil madrasas, two colleges and employees of a number of NGO offices situated in the seven unions.

About 15 to 20 thousand people visit the district headquarters every day crossing the Mohananda river by boats, and eighty percent agricultural land of these unions is covered with mango orchards.

Besides, different types of crops including vegetables are grown in abundance in the areas but the farmers do not get fair price as they cannot market their produce due to lack of communication facilities.