Munshiganj (South) Correspondent

Allegations of irregularities and negligence have been raised against contractor Saifullah regarding the renovation of tin sheds at the historic Goalimandra Market in Haldia Union under Louhajong Upazila of Munshiganj. With the work stalled, traders coming from distant areas have been facing hardship, sparking anger among the local people as well.

According to inquiries, about 20 years ago, several tin sheds were built in Goalimandra Market by the Upazila administration for wholesalers. Due to a lack of repairs over the years, the condition of nine sheds had become extremely dilapidated. During rain, storms, or scorching sun, both buyers and sellers suffered greatly. For this reason, the Upazila administration allocated funds this year and handed over the responsibility of renovation to contractor Saifullah.

However, allegations surfaced that instead of installing new tin sheets, Saifullah attempted to repaint and reuse old ones. Following protests from locals, the work was halted. For more than two months now, no work has been carried out, and the contractor has gone missing.

Molla Monir, a rice shop owner in Goalimandra Market, alleged that Saifullah took an advance of Tk 30,000 from him, promising to sell him old tin sheets. Saifullah, however, denied this and claimed that the work had stopped because the project file had gone missing.

When journalists attempted to contact the contractor about the issue, another controversy arose. On the first call, Saifullah answered and admitted taking Tk 30,000 from Monir for tin sheets, while also confirming the work stoppage. But when pressed further, he abruptly ended the call, claiming the file was missing. On the second call, a different person answered, identifying himself as Engineer Sarwar from the Munshiganj office. He misbehaved with the journalists, downplayed the suspension of work as "insignificant," and drew irrelevant examples. When asked how a government engineer could be answering the contractor's phone and whether he was acting as a broker, Sarwar became agitated and hung up.

Locals have questioned how a government engineer could be receiving calls on a contractor's phone. The incident has raised suspicion not only about the contractor's irregularities but also about the involvement of officials from the concerned department.

Wholesalers complained: "If the renovation work is not completed soon, the heritage of this market will be destroyed." They demanded urgent action from the Upazila administration.

Regarding the matter, Louhajong UNO Md. Nesar Uddin said, the issue would be investigated and appropriate action taken.