Raiganj: Kulik Bridge on National Highway 34 in Raiganj of North Dinajpur is in bad shape for a long period. Members of West Dinajpur Chamber of Commerce, a trade body of both North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur district, in a letter urged the Executive Engineer of PWD of North Dinajpur to repair the old and historic bridge soon to avoid any catastrophic incident.
It is reported that Kulik Bridge was constructed during the pre-Independence era over the Kulik River located to the west side of Raiganj town near Kulik Bird Sanctuary.
Shankar Kundu, the General Secretary of West Dinajpur Chamber of Commerce, said: “Broken railings and large potholes have made the Kulik bridge perilous for vehicles. Transport owners report that the bridge sways when vehicles cross. After the construction of a 10-kilometre bypass road from Rupahar to Barduari in Raiganj by National Highway Authorities, traffic has been diverted. However, many buses and lorries continue to use the old bridge. So we urged the Executive Engineer of PWD to introduce repair work to avoid any catastrophic incident.”
Reacting to this, Jayanta Chakraborty, Executive Engineer of PWD (Roads), North Dinajpur said: “Following the completion of the new bypass road in Raigan, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has started the process of handing over the old NH-34 to our PWD department.”