The Kharana bridge on the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway at Patiya. A picnic bus, inset, fell from the accident-prone bridge recently. Photo: ANURUP KANTI DAS

Abdur Razzak, correspondent of The Daily Prothom Alo in Patiya, burst into tears seeing the body of his youngest daughter Sadia Khanam under the Kharana bridge on September 19 last year.
Sadia was killed in a road accident.
Razzak said road accidents are occurring in the area frequently following the unplanned construction of the bridge as well as the approach road.
He said the accident occurred in the bridge area when his wife along with three children were returning home in a CNG-run tempo from his in-law's house. A speedy bus hit the tempo which fell into the canal, leaving two year-old Sadia dead on the spot.
He said the bridge has been constructed in an unplanned way, the approach road is too narrow in comparison to the highway and two speed bumps have been erected in a very short distance. Following these, the drivers who are not familiar with the road are to brake suddenly to stop on the speed bumps, causing accidents,” Razzak said, adding that moreover railing of the bridge is broken and unable to protect the vehicles from falling into the canal.
The bridge on Kharana canal is situated on a very important national highway connecting Cox's Bazar with Chittagong and rest of the country. The road will connect Myanmar and other South Asian countries through proposed Asian highway.
Sources said at least five people were killed and around 200 got injured in 12 road accidents in the Kharana Bridge area during the last eight months. In most of the cases, the drivers of the vehicles lost their control over the steering and consequently the vehicles fell off the bridge into the canal.
“In the rainy season the situation becomes more vulnerable as the canal is full to its brim,” said Aniket Paul, a local.
The latest major accident occurred when a picnic bus fell into the canal from the bridge, leaving 20 injured seriously on February 23. The bus was returning from Cox's Bazar to Dhaka.
SM Faruq, a local, said a Cox's Bazar-bound bus of Saudia Paribahan skidded off the highway on Saturday last in the area. The passengers of the bus were lucky enough to escape from the accident, he added.
Faruq said they formed human chains many occasions in the accident-prone area demanding reconstruction of the bridge as well as the approach road.
Locals blamed the Roads and Highway (R&D) authorities for not doing maintenance of the bridge properly.
Executive Engineer AKM Rafiqul Islam of Dohazari R&D said repair of bridge or widening the approach road are not their duty as a project has been submitted for maintenance of the bridge along with 21km approach road. Superintend Engineer Sudhangsu Bikash Saha can answer well why railing of the bridge is not being repaired and the approach road is not being widened, he added.
Sudhangshu said a project of Road Network Improvement and Maintaining Programme by Asian Development Bank for the bridge along with a 21km road is under consideration. “We will take step to repair the bridge immediately,” he said.
But he refused to talk about frequent accidents in the area.
Local Awami League lawmaker Shamsul Huq Chowdhury said communication minister has asked the R&D officials to reconstruct the bridge and widen the approach road.