Bauphal (Patuakhali) Correspondent

People of three upazilas in Bauphal, Dashmina and Galachipa are suffering due to a bridge at Baga Point on the Lohalia River in Bauphal,Patuakhali. The long-standing demand of the locals is that if this bridge is completed, road transportation from Bauphal, Dashmina andGalachipa upazilas to Barisal, Patuakhali and the capital Dhaka will be smooth.In addition to wasting time crossing the river by ferry and trawler, more than 1.5 million people going to divisional cities and the capital are suffering in various ways. City-bound patients are suffering the most due to just one bridge. Emergency patients from three upazilas have to wait for hours at the Baga ferry ghat for a ferry.
Many times, patients die on the way because they cannot get treatment in the divisional or capital city at the right time. After the opening of the Pada Bridge, the districts of the southwestern region have become ferry-free, but the only hope for travel in the three upazilas of Patuakhali is still the ferry. Due to the lack of road connectivity, ferries and trawlers take longer to cross the river.About 8 lakh people in the three upazilas are being deprived of the overall development of the country. The cherished dream of the people of this region for many years is to build the Baga Bridge over the Lohalia River. Because to go to the capital Dhaka, they do not have to cross anywhere other than Baga. Apart from this, people are facing various kinds of suffering while crossing this river by travler.
The largest and most important upazila of the district is Bauphal. This upazila has the country's oldest commercial area, Kalaiya and Kalishuri Port. Hundreds of heavy and medium-sized trucks leave from here every day carrying various goods to different parts of the country.Many passenger and goods-carrying vehicles, including passenger buses from Dashmina Galachipa upazila, travel to the capital via Baga Ferry on the Baufal-Dhaka highway. According to relevant sources, a delegation from the Chinese Bridge Department visited the Baga Ferry Ghat in
Bauphal on May 24, 2016 to verify the feasibility of constructing the 9th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge.
The following year, on May 11, 2017, a grant agreement was signed between the Bangladesh and Chinese governments for the construction of this 1020-meter-long bridge. Then, on April 19, 2025, a Chinese team visited the Baga-Lohalia River.In this regard, Jamaat-e-Islami Dhaka Metropolitan South Secretary and Baufal Development Forum Chairman Dr. Shafiqul Islam Masud said, the local people have been demanding the construction of a bridge on the Baga-Lohalia River in Baufal of Patuakhali district for a long time. I myself spoke to the communication advisor of the interim government, and accordingly, a Chinese delegation visited the Baga-Lohalia River on Saturday, April 19/25. Even then, if necessary, I will discuss the bridge with the chief advisor.This demand is now the party opinion of all the people of the district. Upazila BNP member secretary Aple Mahmud Firoz said, if the bridge is built in Boga, there will be no more problems on the roads in the southern region. If the bridge is built, the dreams of several lakhs of people of Galachipa, Dashmina and Baufal in the district will be fulfilled. Thousands of people will be able to communicate with the divisional city of Barisal and Dhaka every day. Farmers will get fair price for their hard-earned products. He strongly demanded from the chief advisor of the interim government to implement the distance to build the bridge in Boga.
In this regard, Patuakhali Road and Township Department Executive Engineer Jamil Akhter Limon said, a Chinese delegation has visited to build a bridge over the Boga-Lohalia river, and if all the processes are completed, the work can start within the next one year.