After power lines, Teesta Bridge’s reflector lights disappear

❐ Special Correspondent

Thefts at the Teesta Bridge built over the Teesta River in Haripur, Sundarganj, Gaibandha seem to be continuing. After the theft of 310 meters of electric wire from a lamppost on Friday night, reflector lights were stolen again late on Saturday night. The matter came to the attention of the bridge authorities on Sunday afternoon.

Since the incident, there has been intense anger among locals. There has also been a flurry of criticism on social media.

Locals complain that the negligence of the concerned officials and the lack of security measures in the bridge area are mainly responsible for the ongoing thefts.

When asked about the theft, Gaibandha LGED Executive Engineer Ujjal Chowdhury said that he recently learned about the loss of the reflector light and the local police were informed verbally. Earlier, a case was filed with Sundarganj Police Station regarding the theft of the lamppost.

He also said that the police are trying to identify the criminals and that work on new electricity connections has begun.

Sundarganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdul Hakim Azad said, “The theft incident is being investigated seriously. Work is underway to identify the gang of thieves. Along with this, the police are also taking measures to ease traffic congestion and strengthen overall security.”

Locals have complained that the bridge and the connecting road, built at a cost of about 925 crore taka, do not have minimum security measures. Although thousands of vehicles and passengers use the bridge every day, the bridge and the surrounding connecting roads are shrouded in darkness as soon as evening falls. This increases the risk of accidents as well as theft, robbery and robbery.

Earlier, miscreants cut about 310 meters of wires from 8 light posts on the southern connecting road. In this incident, the bridge’s security in-charge, Nur Alam, filed a case with Sundarganj Police Station on Friday night, where a loss of about 5 lakh 20 thousand taka was mentioned.

Although all the lights were turned on experimentally on June 13, the lights did not turn on later due to theft. Even on the opening night, the bridge was in darkness. The next day, China SASEC project workers investigated and identified the theft.

The Teesta Bridge, which was officially inaugurated on August 20, is 1,490 meters long and 9.6 meters wide. It has 31 spans. The project was implemented by LGED and financed by the Government of Bangladesh (GOB), Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). About 133 acres of land was acquired for the project and 86 kilometers of connecting roads were constructed on both sides.

The long-awaited bridge connects Haripur Ghat in Sundarganj Upazila of Gaibandha with Chilmari Upazila of Kurigram. As a result, the distance from Kurigram to Dhaka has been reduced by about 135 kilometers and the travel time is reduced by three and a half to four hours. It is expected to have an impact not only on the quality of life of the people of the two districts, but also on the overall economy of North Bengal.