Several of the stairs have been stolen. The remaining ones are rusting, corrosion visible on the steel plates and reinforcing bars. Broken pieces of glass are scattered around. Neglect and disuse have allowed weeds to grow on the staircase, while the entrance gate remains locked.
This is the current state of Chattogram city’s first escalator-equipped foot over-bridge. Built by the Chattogram City Corporation more than six and a half years ago at a cost of nearly Tk 40 million (4 crore), the structure now lies abandoned.
The escalator foot over-bridge remained operational for only about two months after its inauguration in January 2020. Left unused after that, it gradually fell into disrepair and eventually became unfit for use. Today, the costly structure has effectively turned into an abandoned piece of infrastructure.
Officials who were responsible at the time said the bridge was built at the request of the then local MP, Afsarul Amin. Two officials from the city corporation’s electrical department were also trained to maintain the bridge.
According to City Corporation sources, the escalator foot over bridge was constructed at a cost of Tk 39 million (3.9 crore). It was inaugurated on 30 January 2020 by the then mayor, AJM Nasir Uddin. It remained in operation for only two months.
However, no maintenance personnel have been seen there for a long time. Urban planners and engineers say the site chosen for the escalator footbridge was unsuitable, which is why pedestrians largely avoided using it.
According to City Corporation sources, the escalator foot over bridge was constructed at a cost of Tk 39 million (3.9 crore). It was inaugurated on 30 January 2020 by the then mayor, AJM Nasir Uddin.
It remained in operation for only two months. Shortly after it was opened, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The City Corporation suspended its operation after lockdowns and other restrictions were imposed.
Although the pandemic situation later returned to normal, complications arose over the electrical connection and electricity bills required to operate the escalators. As a result, the city’s first and only escalator foot over bridge, which had closed soon after opening, has never reopened.
Senior City Corporation officials have little idea about the bridge’s current condition, although they said they would look into the matter. Meanwhile, the conventional foot over bridge connected to the escalator structure remains open. However, local pedestrians rarely use it, preferring to cross the busy road directly despite the risks.
Part of the foot over-bridge has also become a place for homeless people.
Mohammad Karim, who has been repairing rickshaw parts beneath the foot over bridge for the past six years, speaking to Prothom Alo on Saturday afternoon, said the bridge had been operational for a short period after it was opened before being shut down. It was never reopened.
Delwar Majumdar, former chairman of IEB, Chattogram Centre Someone must certainly have benefited from building this bridge. By implementing projects like this without considering public needs, taxpayers' hard-earned money has been wasted. In the end, it has delivered no real benefit.Over the past year or two, criminals have stolen many of its key components while it has remained abandoned. He believes the bridge would at least have remained in use had it been built a little further away, at the Wireless intersection, where some people would have used it.
Local residents said that although the bridge belongs to the City Corporation, it has effectively been left without any oversight. Weeds have overgrown the structure and some of its equipment has been stolen, yet no action has been taken by the City Corporation.
They also pointed out that although the bridge was built to help hospital patients cross the road safely, patients continue to travel to and from the hospital by crossing the road directly.
Asked about the matter, the acting Chief Executive Officer of the City Corporation, Mohammad Ashraful Amin, said an escalator-equipped foot over bridge had been built on Zakir Hossain Road, but he was not familiar with the details. He advised contacting Chief Engineer Anisur Rahman.
When contacted later, Chief Engineer Anisur Rahman told Prothom Alo that the escalator foot-over bridge had been built several years ago to make it easier for pedestrians, including patients visiting the Chattogram Diabetes Hospital, to cross the road.
However, he said no one uses it, as people prefer to cross the road directly. He added that he would look into the bridge’s current condition.
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Delwar Majumdar, former chairman of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), Chattogram Centre told Prothom Alo that pedestrian foot over-bridges are essential in the city, but they must be built in locations with heavy foot traffic.
He said the site chosen for the escalator foot over-bridge on Zakir Hossain Road was inappropriate because there is relatively little pedestrian movement there. Moreover, there are no barriers or road dividers to discourage people from crossing the road directly, so pedestrians continue to take the risk.
Delwar Majumdar said an escalator foot over-bridge requires proper maintenance and security oversight, but the City Corporation had failed to provide either. Because the bridge was built in the wrong location, neither pedestrians nor local residents showed much interest in using it. As a result, despite spending Tk 40 million on its construction, city residents have gained no benefit.
"However, someone must certainly have benefited from building this bridge," he said. "By implementing projects like this without considering public needs, taxpayers' hard-earned money has been wasted. In the end, it has delivered no real benefit."
