3 months left, work done at Tk 1.5 lakh : Fear of looting of Tk 37 lakh in Kendua's Baharail Bill project
Lutfar Rahman Hridoy, Kendua (Netrokona)
Only three months left, but no work in the field. The development work of 37 lakh 69 thousand taka of Baharail Bill sub-project of No. 9 Naopara Union of Kendua Upazila of Netrokona is in extreme uncertainty.
LGED has made a big allocation on paper and pen, but in reality, nothing has been done except painting and light earthworks at the Swiss gate.
According to the letter signed by LGED Netrokona Executive Engineer Md. Wahiduzzaman, an agreement was signed with contractor Md. Mahibul Haque on 22-09-2025. The start date of the work was 29-09-2025 and the completion date was 24-09-2026.
But with only three months left in the work period, no work has been done on the construction of box culverts, replacement of regulator gates, repair of WMCA office, boundary wall or supply of computers. Locals are complaining that time is running out quickly but there is no pace of work in the field.
A local farmer, who did not want to be named, said, "We were happy to hear about the work worth 37 lakh taka. We thought that the water in the beel would be drained, the crops would be saved, but despite all this money allocated, farmers' crops worth lakhs of taka have been damaged due to excessive rainfall. But I saw that the Swiss gate is only being painted and a little soil is being cut. The work can be completed in 6 months with this money. Where did the rest of the money go?
When we tried to get the statement of the contractor Md. Mahibul Haque in this regard, he could not be reached. When contacted, the Upazila Engineer of Kendua Upazila LGED Office said, "We have people to supervise the work. The bill will be paid according to the progress report of the work. We will look into the matter of slowness."
Locals have sought the intervention of LGED Netrokona and ACC to ensure speedy progress of the work and proper utilization of the people's 3.7 million taka.
