The newly inaugurated Mawlana Bhashani Bridge, hailed as a long-awaited infrastructure milestone for thousands of residents in northern Bangladesh, has been without lighting since the night of its opening following the theft of a significant segment of its electrical wiring.

The bridge, which spans the Teesta River between Gaibandha and Kurigram, lost 310 metres of its electrical cable, leaving the entire structure in darkness after dusk. 

The blackout has raised serious safety concerns and caused significant inconvenience to commuters using the bridge at night.

Constructed for BDT 9.25 billion, the 1,490-metre-long and 9.6-metre-wide bridge connects Horipurghat in Gaibandha’s Sundarganj upazila. 

It is the largest project in the history of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), jointly funded by the Government of Bangladesh, the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).

Police have confirmed the theft. 

Sub-Inspector Mominul Islam of Sundarganj Police Station said that authorities had visited the site upon receiving the report and that efforts were underway to recover the stolen wire and initiate legal proceedings.

Uzzal Chowdhury, Executive Engineer of LGED in Gaibandha, said the theft occurred on the night of the inauguration. Unknown perpetrators cut and removed the electrical line from the Horipur end of the bridge. As a result, the lampposts installed along the bridge remain non-functional. 

He added that work to restore the power supply is in progress and lighting is expected to be fully restored within a few days.

The much-anticipated bridge was officially opened on Wednesday (August 20) by Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, Adviser to the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry, accompanied by Saudi guests. 

SMS/