Staff Reporter, Gaibandha/

He has to cross the Akhira river on foot by tying a sack behind his bicycle. The situation is the same for thousands of people in ten villages in the area. Their only hope is bamboo poles in the dry season and canoes in the rainy season.

On the surface, this is the daily picture of Ambagan Ghat, Karatoya neighborhood of Kishoregari Union of the upazila.

Common people including students of that village have to travel to Ghoraghat upazila of bordering Dinajpur district for their daily needs including school-college, bazaar and medical treatment.

Abdul Khalek, a resident of Jafar village of Kishoregari union, said that people of 10 villages including Jafar, Munglishpur, Palpara, Shilpara, Ganakpara, Hasankhor, Ramchandrapur, Jaitar of this union regularly travel through Ambagan Ghat. Among them, straw bamboo poles and small canoes in the monsoons are their only means of transport. School-college students of the area study in Shah Ismail Ghazi High School, Ghoraghat Women’s Degree College, Ghoraghat KC Pilot School and College, Ghorghat Razia Sultana Girls High School and Noorjahanpur High School of nearby Ghoraghat Upazila. Trouble in movement is their constant companion. However, the sufferings increase several times during the monsoon season than the dry season. Ambia Begum (57), another resident of Jafar village, said that when the monsoons come, the sufferings of people increase. Due to the increase of water in the river, a lot of the way has to be crossed by boat. It takes one to one and a half hours to reach from one side of Ambagan ghat by dinghy. In addition to the risk of drowning, it costs extra time. As a result, teachers and students are prevented from reaching the class at the specified time.

Shaheen Mia, a rickshaw-van driver of Munglishpur village, said that the nearby Ghoraghat upazila is only one kilometer away from Ambagan Ghat. The distance of our own upazila Palashbari on the other side is about thirteen kilometers. Because of that, common people are forced to travel through this ghat for any need, including the market. Transport of commercial-agricultural products suffers the most. From the main road to the ghat, Sanko is seen pushing the sand road. Then you have to cross Sanko with risk. Sometimes rickshaw-vans with goods have drowned. Kishoregari Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Abu Bakkar Siddique said that although mega projects like Padma Setu have been implemented in the country, even after half a century of independence, no initiative has been taken to construct a bridge at Ambagan Ghat. The issue is very painful for the local residents. He said that there will be speed in trade and agriculture along with the education of the boys and girls of the area in Breeze Hall.

In this regard Gaibandha-3 (Palashbari-Sadullapur) Constituency Member of Parliament Adv. Umm Kulsoom Smriti said that efforts are being made to build bridges at several places in Sadullapur upazila including Ambagan and Risighat of Palashbari. We hope that the concerned authorities will take immediate action.