Keane Bridge on Surma River: heritage of Sylhet

The Keane Bridge built in 1936 on the Surma has become too old for vehicular traffic to ply. Even the plying of light vehicles has become risky. Recently the authority has forbidden even plying of the motorized rickshaws including CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) run auto-rickshaws for the time being.

The locals think the longevity of the bridge has already been ended. The historic bridge linking the northern most part of Sylhet City and the southern side, commonly known as South Surma was severely damaged by the Occupation Pakistan Army by Early December of the Liberation War, 1971. Later on the Bridge was repaired with wood and bialy iron plates.

When the war was over in 1972 and 1977 the bridge was repaired with concrete and girder and since then the bridge has been being used for vehicular traffic. In 1985, another bridge (Bridge No 2) at Mehendibag was built, resulting in vehicular plying reduced on the Keane Bridge.

As the bridge grew older and risky, the authority disbanded plying of all modes of motorized vehicles the heavy ones were for forbidden since 1985. This Historic bridge was named after the then Governor of Assam Sir Michael Keane, the pioneer of establishing this iron bridge has become shaky.
 
When the light vehicles with scores of pedestrians shivered and for which since 1980s the heavy vehicular traffic was banned for the existence of the bridge.

The arrow-shaped arch-like bridge was jointly initiated by the then Education Minister of Assam Government  Mr. Abdul Hamid and Roy Bahadur Promud Chandra Dutta, the then member the Executive Council, the Government of Assam respectively.

The bridge is 1150 feet long and 18 feet wide, and entirely made of iron. The construction cost was estimated 56 lakh taka when its construction started in 1933. With the assistance of the Bangladesh Railway, the erecting platform was constructed with concrete in 1977.

It was re-inaugurated by the then Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Mahbub Ali Khan and opened for the commuters. The speciality of the bridge is that it was built and first opened for commuters  just 2 (two) years before the beginning of World War 11. Before the bridge came into being, boat and only boat was to ferry the Surma across.

Adjacent to the west, stands the Tower Clock which was established by the then Zamindar (Landlord) Ali Amjad in 1874.

On both ends (North and South) of the bridge, ceramic tiles have been fitted, Just south edge of the Tower Clock, there retain stairs down the bank of the river. With the help of these stairs people still avail themselves the river water all the year round.

Once  there was fashion in bathing in the river by going down the stairs. People gather  together around  the bridge area  to have glimpse on it.

Two large gates have  been built with the initiative of late former Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman who was keen to beautify the bridge. It is regrettable that   the glaze of the beauty of the bridge is no more and faded with the passage of time. But the necessity of the preservation of the bridge has been felt keenly.

Grameen Phone decorated the bridge with lights but many of them gave been stolen by miscreants. In absence of those lights the bridge wears a ghostly look at night-which has become shameful.

When contacted, the Road and Highway Department officials told this correspondent that the longevity of the bridge has already been over but its pylons have not been out-dated yet.

The bridge has been surviving on refurbishment. Former Speaker Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury took up an initiative to construct a hanging bridge beside the Keane Bridge but the idea was later abandoned and as an alternative measure a bridge known as Kazirbazar Bridge has been constructed over the Surma with the help of the budgetary allocation meant for abandoned hanging bridge.

Immediate refurbishment of the entire Keane Bridge has become crying need of the hour for the safeguard of the nearly century old tradition of Sylhet.

-AA Correspondent, Sylhet