A platform of local people of Mymensingh has alleged that the Roads and Highways Department is constructing the country鈥檚 largest arch bridge known as Kewatkhali Bridge in the region, deviating from its approved plan, which if allowed to go on unhindered would cause great suffering to the region鈥檚 people.
They have also alleged that the government agency is doing it to award unlawful benefits to several housing companies in the division in the expense of the greater interest of the local people and greatly increasing the cost of the project, calling on the authorities to take immediate measures to stop the deviation from the original plan.
A group of people under the banner of 鈥楽adajagrata Mymensingh鈥� (Always awake Mymensingh) raised the allegations against the RHD on Sunday at a press conference at the capital鈥檚 National Press Club.
The activists from the platform have already filed a writ petition in the High Court against the attempt, they said.
Chief organiser of the platform Abul Kalam Al Azad said that the previous government undertook the plan to build the country鈥檚 largest arch bridge on Brahmaputra River to connect Mymensingh and other nearby districts with Dhaka. On completion, the bridge was supposed to save travellers from hours of traffic congestion, he mentioned.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council in 2014 approved the Tk 3,263 crore project to be completed by June 2025, they stated.
But the project鈥檚 implementation agency Roads and Highways Department was deviating from the plan in the interest of vested groups, Abul Kalam alleged at the event.
The platform representatives alleged the RHD, deviating from the original design, undertook to build the approach road to the bridge through a winding route, instead of building the 6.2-kilometre approach road following the original design.
Platform leaders further said that if implemented, instead of solving the traffic congestion it would increase it.
Naming three housing companies 鈥楤rahmaputra Housing鈥�, 鈥楥hina Town鈥� and 鈥楿rban Housing鈥�, platform representative Sheikh Aninda Mithu said that least three developer companies were involved in the web of corruption.
They said that these developers were now buying huge land in the area where the RHD was allegedly taking the approach road through, flouting the approved design.
They would build housing areas in that land to sell plots in high price and also would get large amount of compensations if the government acquired land there for the approach road, platform leaders alleged.
Alimdad Khan, coordinator of another platform from greater Mymensingh, Haoranchalbashi (Haor residents), said that the government must discuss with the people if it had to change plans of the bridge.
RHD chief engineer Syed Moinul Hasan, additional chief engineer for Mymensingh Shoukat Ali and the project director AK Shamsuddin Ahmed were contacted for comment, but none of them received phone calls or replied message.
The government is implementing the project with Tk 1,909.79 crore loan from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Amirul Rajiv, coordinator of Bangladesh Gachh Rakkha Andolan (Bangladesh tree protection movement), Tetultala Math Rakkha Andalon coordinatror Syeda Ratna and green activist Iqbal Sayeed Rana, among others, spoke at the event.
