The Nagorik Committee, headed by city Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, will hold a rally at Laldighi Maidan at 3:00pm to be addressed by leaders of the committee and opposition parties.

The bridge execution committee would also hold a rally near the bridge site at the same time, sources said.

Both the sides were busy campaigning yesterday at different points in the port city to persuade people to join their rallies.

When contacted, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Detective Branch of Police Mosharraf Hossain said security would be stepped up to ward off violence centring the rallies.

Earlier at a July 29 press conference, Mohiuddin reiterated the demand for construction of a suspension bridge on the Karnaphuli and said he would announce further agitation programmes from today's rally to press home the demand.

Besides, opposition leaders at a discussion in the capital on Thursday said the government should leave the third Karnaphuli Bridge issue for the next elected government to act on it.

They called for a national-level movement against the government's initiative for constructing a pillar bridge.

On the other hand, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdullah Al Noman at a press conference on Monday announced a road march programme to drum up support for the present bridge project. The march titled 'Chalo Chalo Karnaphuli Bridge Abhimukhe Chalo' would end through today's rally on the south of the bridge site.

The minister termed the mayor's move for a suspension bridge an undesirable act to make implementation of the bridge uncertain.

Meanwhile, China Major Bridge (CMB), the company assigned to construct the bridge, started preliminary work on Tuesday.

As part of the project work, more than 100 structures are being demolished to make space for two ends of the bridge.

Project Director of the bridge Belal Muktadir visited the site yesterday and had discussions with CMB engineers and others about construction work.