Bus route reopens between Chittagong and Rangamati after landslides

Heavy vehicles can now operate on the Bailey bridge on the Rangamati-Chittagong road in southeastern Bangladesh.

This resumes the direct bus services between the two districts which remained halted for the last 69 days since landslides.

Heavy rains triggered landslides in the region in June leaving five districts in tatters, with Rangamati bearing most of the brunt.

On Jun 13, road links connecting Rangamati to the port city of Chittagong snapped following landslides that hit 54 areas. As many as 120 people died in Rangamati alone.

Parts of the Rangamati-Chittagong road caved in, near Shapchhari Union’s Shal Bagan.

Army personnel and workers of the Roads and Highways Department or RHD started repairs and opened the road for light vehicles on Jun 21.

They started repairing the Bailey bridge in the third week of June and opened it for traffic on Monday, said Md Emdad Hossain, executive engineer of Rangamati RHD.

It cost around Tk 23.7 million to repair the bridge located in Deppochhari neighbourhood, he told bdnews24.com.

For the last two months, Rangamati residents were using taxi and other light vehicles to reach Ghagra first and then take a bus from there to reach Chittagong. Chittagong residents were using the same route to come to Rangamati.

However, log-laden trucks would not be allowed to use the bridge, Hossain said. “We will first handle the traffic rush during Eid and then allow trucks to use the bridge to transport logs.”

Residents of Rangamati were notified about the restoration of bus services on Sunday night through loudspeakers.