Work underway with third bricks : Massive irregularities in construction of Mohanpur-Tano connecting road alleged
Sohanul Haque Parvez Tanore (Rajshahi)
There have been allegations of extreme irregularities and corruption in the widening and strengthening of the much-awaited connecting road for lakhs of people in Mohanpur and Tanor upazilas of Rajshahi.
Although the development work of the road has started in the hope of alleviating the accumulated suffering for a long time, angry local residents have accused the contractor of widespread irregularities through the use of low-quality bricks, substandard sand and faulty construction methods.
As a result, there have been serious doubts about the sustainability and effectiveness of this project being implemented at the expense of crores of taka by the government from the beginning. According to relevant sources, this work is being carried out under the project titled 'Widening and Strengthening Works of Saipara R&H Gollapara (Up to Tulshi Kshetra)' under the Local Government Engineering Department's (LGED) RDIRWSP project.
The 7-kilometer-long road from Saipara in Mohanpur upazila to Gollapara in Tanore is being widened to about 18 feet. A contracting company named Saikat Enterprise is implementing the work. After visiting the project area in Sarezmin and talking to local residents, it was learned that work has been carried out irresponsibly on the road from the beginning without maintaining the prescribed standards.
There are allegations that although number one brick waste was supposed to be used for the base and sub-base work as per the prescribed specifications, fragile and very low-quality number three brick waste is being dumped there. In many places, half and powdered brick waste is being mixed with soil and pressed with rollers, which is at risk of collapsing even with a little rain.
In addition, the locals are alleging that less cement and low-quality materials are being used in the reinforcement and plastering of drains, culverts and bridges along the road. Locals said that the importance of the road is immense in medical services, higher education and transportation of agricultural products for the people of the two upazilas. This is the main route for Tanor's potatoes, rice and vegetables to reach Rajshahi or Chapainawabganj quickly. However, the contractor syndicate, in collusion with the concerned officials, is trying to finish the work quickly with low-quality materials.
The extreme weakness of the work has been exposed in the incident where the road's potholes and sand washed away into the nearby ponds and ditches even with a little rain. Locals fear that if work continues with the number three brick potholes, the road will turn into potholes again under the pressure of heavy vehicles immediately after the pitch is poured and the public's suffering will take a permanent form. In this regard, the concerned officials of the Local Government Engineering Department claim that regular supervision is being carried out to avoid irregularities.
However, the angry locals have demanded the immediate formation of an impartial investigation committee to remove the low-quality materials and ensure the quality of the work as per the schedule and strict action be taken against the responsible contractor.
