"We will resist government's plan to go-ahead with a pillar-based bridge by all means and will not even hesitate to spare our lives to make sure that a suspension bridge, as per the recommendation of experts, is constructed in its place," announced the mayor at a huge public rally on the Karnaphuli Shah Amanat Bridge premises yesterday.

Nagorik Committee Chittagong, a citizens' rights forum of the port city, organised the rally protesting government move for constructing a pillar-based bridge and demanding suspension bridge in its place.

The city mayor presided over it.

Thousands of people from all strata and activists and supporters of 14-party opposition coalition joined the rally by blockading the vehicular movement on both sides of the bridge from 10.00am to 2.00pm.

The organisers, however, gave passages to vehicles carrying women, children and patients on humanitarian ground.

It may be mentioned that ignoring the reservations expressed by various authorities and quarters, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) on July 13 signed a Tk 338 crore contract with a Chinese company China Major Bridge (CMB) for the construction of Karnaphuli Third Bridge.

Communication Minister Nazmul Huda is expected to formally inaugurate the construction work of the proposed bridge on August 7.

It is further alleged that the design of the bridge submitted by CMB is a faulty one but the communication ministry had forced the RHD to sign the deal.

Experts believe that the Kuwait government funded 900-meter- long bridge if implemented as per government wish will not serve the actual purposes, rather it will waste the fund and cause heavy siltation in the river.

Sounding a note of warning to communication minister, Mohiuddin said, "We would definitely resist him (Nazmul Huda) if he comes on August 7 in Chittagong to inaugurate the construction of a pillar-based bridge. But we will greet him heartily if he comes here for a suspension bridge."

The mayor alleged that the move to build a pillar-based bridge is nothing but a conspiracy to destroy Chittagong city, the port and the river Karnaphuli.

"Our movement is not against a bridge. We need a bridge on the Karnaphuli. But we want to make it sure that it must be a suspension bridge," he said.

Awami League leaders Bir Bahadur MP, Nurul Islam, Kazi Inamul Haq Danu, Khorshed Alam Sujan, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader Moinuddin Khan Badal and Jatiya Party leader Prof Saber Ahmed also addressed the rally.