Why soil is being removed from Padma Rail Bridge Pillars: Minister clarifies

Excess soil has been removed from the base of the Padma Railway Bridge pillar, said Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam. He said this in response to questions from reporters at the Secretariat on Tuesday afternoon (June 16).

Earlier, a video of soil being removed from under the Padma Railway Bridge pillar in Fatulla, Narayanganj, went viral on social media, sparking discussion and criticism.

In this context, the Bridge Minister said, "The soil has not been dug up. When the bridge was built there, some obstacles were placed, small barriers were built. Soil was removed from there when necessary. It is part of the construction work, but it has not been removed for a long time. Since it is a little high, something was stolen from there with a ladder or was about to be stolen. As a result, it was removed in overall consideration. The excess soil was there to create obstacles, to assist in the construction work." He said that now it has been decided to plant trees there.

Bus stand not moving now
The bus stands in the capital will be moved, but it will not happen overnight, the Road Transport Minister said.

He said, "There will be buses at a bus stand for 12-24 hours. We think that buses will stay at the depot, they will come and pick up passengers shortly before departure. That will be the use of the bus stand. But I want a change in the traffic jams and mismanagement that are being created at the bus stand day after day, hour after hour."

Stating that the Mohakhali Bus Terminal will remain operational for the time being, he said, "It will be permanently relocated to Uttara. A decision has been made to acquire 50 bighas of land for this purpose. Due to the gridlock piling up at the Mohakhali terminal, we are unable to guarantee efficient service. Therefore, only buses scheduled to depart will use the Mohakhali Bus Terminal. Extra buses that have trips scheduled more than 12 hours later will not be allowed to wait at Mohakhali. A site at 300 Feet has been designated to temporarily serve as a depot for them."

The Sayedabad bus stand is being moved to Kanchpur. It will be moved only after adequate facilities are ensured. He said, "Now it will be used as a depot. Only the buses that leave from the stand will be at the stand for a certain time before that. The rest of the time, they will be at the depot."