Aftabnagar and Banasree are two adjacent areas in the capital. Being planned residential areas, they are very popular among residents for living.
Although Aftabnagar and Banasree are located side by side, the Narai River in the middle separates them. Although it is a river, it looks like a dead canal.
Despite being very close, the canal-like Narai River has greatly increased the distance between Aftabnagar and Banasree areas. This distance has increased mainly because there is no bridge over the Narai River.
The distance from Aftabnagar's Lake View Road to Meradia Kitchen Market is less than 200 feet. However, traveling this distance by vehicle takes more than half an hour, requiring an additional round trip of about six kilometers. Again, if someone wants to go to Aftabnagar from Meradia-Banasree, they have to use the Badda Uloop. In this case, the distance increases to about seven kilometers.
To reduce the inconvenience of traveling long distances by vehicle, local residents have built four separate bamboo bridges from Aftabnagar to Meradia, Banasree, and Rampura for walking. Unless it is very urgent, they use bamboo bridges instead of vehicles. However, the bridges have now become shaky and risky. Minor accidents are happening all the time. Especially the elderly and school-going students are becoming victims of more accidents. However, the sorrow of the people of Aftabnagar and Banasree-Meradia will soon be over.
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has taken the initiative to construct three bridges over the Narai River. The residents of Aftabnagar have been demanding the construction of bridges there for more than a decade. Finally, their demand is going to be fulfilled.
Residents of Zahurul Islam City or Aftabnagar said that there are more than 7,000 plots in Aftabnagar. Although the construction work on all the plots is not completed, about 200,000 people live there. But there is only one road for their transportation. They have to use this road to travel to different areas of Dhaka by vehicle. Since there is no bridge, there is no way for vehicles to cross the canal to Banasree or other adjacent areas. However, they said that the residents of Aftabnagar would benefit the most if a bridge was built over the Narai River.
Aftabnagar resident Hossain Sazzad said, "Many human chains have been formed in Aftabnagar demanding the construction of a bridge over the Narai River, but no one has given much importance. Now, if a bridge is built here, it will benefit thousands of people."
Rimon Rahman, son of Abdur Rahman, a resident of South Banasree, studies at an English-medium school in Aftabnagar. Abdur Rahman now rents a house in Aftabnagar to facilitate his son's commute to school.
While talking, he said, "My son had a lot of trouble traveling from South Banasree to Aftabnagar twice a day. We also had to go with the child in the morning and afternoon. It took an hour a day to travel by car. It was not possible to travel by foot. So I moved to Aftabnagar. Now my son can go to school alone." DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ezaz said that there is no alternative means of transportation from Aftabnagar to Banasree except the main road. Therefore, for the convenience of the local people, three bridges will be constructed over the Narai River, which will establish an easy and direct connection between these two residential areas. The proposed bridge will be named 'Narai Bridge'. The tender for the construction of the bridge will be finalized soon.
