ILIAS RIPON, Chattogram, September 13 (CTG Mail):

The Chattogram Nagorik Forum on Sunday submitted a memorandum to the prime minister, urging immediate and visible progress on the construction of the new rail-cum-road bridge over the Karnaphuli River at Kalurghat.

The memorandum was handed over at around 4:00pm at the Chattogram Divisional Commissioner’s Office through Monowara Begum, acting divisional commissioner and director of local government, Chattogram Division.

Signed by Chattogram Nagorik Forum Chairman Barrister Manowar Hossain and Secretary General Md Abu Taher Chowdhury, the memorandum expressed deep frustration over the failure to implement repeated government commitments regarding the long-awaited bridge project.

The forum sought the prime minister’s direct intervention to end the prolonged delay and ensure that construction begins visibly and within a definite timeframe.

No visible progress despite ECNEC approval

The memorandum said that nearly two years after approval by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), there has been no significant visible progress in land acquisition or the main construction work of the new Kalurghat bridge.

The prolonged delay has created growing concern and disappointment among the people of Chattogram, it said.

The forum pointed to several previous government commitments regarding the project. At a meeting held at Chattogram Circuit House on November 16, 2024, then Road Transport and Bridges and Railway Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan had said that construction of the new Kalurghat Bridge would begin in February 2025.

The memorandum also referred to a media report published on November 26, 2024, quoting Md Golam Mostafa, focal person for the Kalurghat bridge project and former chief engineer (Bridge) of Bangladesh Railway’s Eastern Zone.

He had said that consultants would be appointed and land acquisition would begin around May-June 2025. He also said detailed design would take about a year, after which tenders would be invited and construction would begin.

According to the Chattogram Nagorik Forum, those commitments have not been fulfilled.

Foundation stone unveiled in May 2025

The memorandum said Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus formally inaugurated the project by unveiling its foundation stone on May 14, 2025.

However, despite the formal inauguration, visible construction activity on the ground has yet to gain momentum, the forum said.

It argued that examples of several major projects across the country show that construction can begin and projects can be completed within comparatively shorter periods after ECNEC approval when there is political commitment, administrative sincerity and proper monitoring.

The forum urged the government to demonstrate similar commitment to the Kalurghat bridge project.

Demand for visible work within three months

The Chattogram Nagorik Forum called for the bridge project to be declared a priority project and demanded that the government publicly disclose the reasons behind the delay.

It also called for a specific implementation schedule and urged the authorities to ensure visible construction work begins within the next three months.

The forum has demanded that the project be completed by 2029.

According to the memorandum, the new rail-cum-road bridge is strategically important not only for connectivity with southern Chattogram but also for the Chattogram Port, industrial areas, Cox’s Bazar railway connectivity and the Matarbari deep-sea port.

The forum warned that continued delays could increase project costs, worsen traffic congestion and public suffering, and negatively affect trade and business.

It also sought direct monitoring by the Prime Minister’s Office, disclosure of the reasons for the delay and a clear action plan for implementation.

Forum leaders reiterate long-running campaign

Those present during the memorandum submission included Chattogram Nagorik Forum Secretary General Abu Taher Chowdhury, artist Shahriar Khaled, Joint Secretary General, writer and social thinker Md Kamrul Islam, former Bangladesh Bank DGM Md Ekram Hossain, politician Mitul Das Gupta, SAARC Human Rights’ divisional Secretary General Jafar Iqbal, organiser and journalist Absar Uddin Oli, journalist Ilias Ripon, media worker Akhtar Hossain Nizami, youth and women organiser Purnima Chowdhury, Lion Nur Ahmad Pintu, Masud Rana, women’s leader Tahera Sharmin, cultural activist Jasim Uddin Chowdhury, AK Azad, social worker Md Mainuddin, poet and columnist Taslim Khan, Sabrina Afroza, IT specialist and social worker Azmeri Begum, and human rights activist Rozi Chowdhury, among others.

After submitting the memorandum, the forum leaders held a brief rally at the Chattogram Court Building premises.

Speakers said the Chattogram Nagorik Forum had been campaigning for years with the people of Chattogram for implementation of the new Kalurghat bridge.

They said the demand was not merely a regional issue, arguing that the strategic importance of the bridge had turned it into a national demand.

The speakers said the forum had repeatedly submitted memoranda to successive governments and raised its concerns over delays and administrative lapses at different stages of the project.

‘We will not remain silent’

Chattogram Nagorik Forum Chairman Barrister Manowar Hossain said the organisation would continue its campaign until the long-awaited bridge became a reality.

“We will not remain silent under any circumstances until the dream of a new Kalurghat Bridge is realised,” he said.

He described the demand as non-political and social, saying people of Chattogram remained united under the banner of the Chattogram Nagorik Forum in a constructive and peaceful effort to fulfil their longstanding expectation.

He said the forum would continue its awareness and advocacy programmes until the project is implemented.

The forum expects the government to take immediate steps, announce a firm construction timeline and ensure that visible work on the long-awaited Kalurghat rail-cum-road bridge begins within the next three months.