Second Dharla Bridge likely to open this year

The Second Dharla Bridge being built over the Dharla River in Kurigram is likely to be opened for traffic at the end of this year. Kurigram LGED authorities said that 80% of the construction works had already been completed. The 950-meter PC Guader bridge, pledged by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will be the largest project under Local Government Engineering Department’s (LGED) supervision till date. The joint venture agreement for the construction of the bridge was inked between Indian Simplex Infrastructure Ltd and local Navana Construction in 2014. The estimated budget for river training, and construction of the approach road and the main bridge is 191.63 crore. People of Kurigram and Lalmonirhat will be greatly benefited by this bridge. It will facilitate communication of this region with Rangpur as well as with the other parts of the country. The bridge will also play a crucial role in transporting goods from Bhurungamari’s Bongo Shonahat land port and agro products from Kurigram and Lalmonirhat. Moreover, cost of transportation to India’s Seven Sisters (Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram Monipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Arunachal) through Bongo Shonahat port will also be reduced to a great extent, authorities say. Kolkata’s communication with the Seven Sister states will be eased through Kurigram’s Burimari land port via West Bengal’s Chengrabandha. A school teacher from Kurigram's Phulbari Jahangir Alam Babla said that the bridge would contribute to the socio-economic development of the country by facilitating trade and commerce of this region. Phulbari upazila Awami League General Secretary Golam Rabbani Sarker said: “We have been expecting that our prime minister will inaugurate the project. It will play an important role in the implementation of the prime minister’s Vision 2021."