Zubair, Pirojpur

Local residents formed a human chain  demanding  the construction of the Kaukhali Upazila Health Complex, as its building work remains unfinished even after 17 years due to corruption and irregularities. 

The hour-long human chain was held on Wednesday  at 11:00 AM on the road in front of the under-construction health complex. Doctors, journalists, political leaders, and people from various professions participated in the human chain. Speakers stated that if the construction of the new Kaukhali Hospital building does not commence by June 30, the local residents will be compelled to enforce road blockades, protest marches, and other stringent measures. 

Among those who spoke at the human chain were former Upazila Parishad Chairman and Upazila BNP Convener S. M. Ahsan Kabir, District Jamaat Vice-President Maulana Siddiqul Islam, Upazila Islami Shasantantra Andolan President Maulana Ali Hossain, BNP Joint Convener Ziaul Hasan Nixon, Islami Andolan Upazila Convener Abul Kalam Azad Qasemi, Jubodal Convener Mamun Talukdar, women's leader Suranda Somaddar, and journalist leaders Ratan Kumar Das, Enamul Haque, Rafiqul Islam Rafiq, and Tariqul Islam Pannu.

It is mentioned  that in 2008, a tender was invited for the main building and two residential buildings under the project to upgrade Kaukhali Upazila Health Complex from 31 to 50 beds, at a cost of BDT 5 crore 50 lakh. At that time, Nasir Uddin Litu, brother of then Awami League State Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, misused his power to secure the contract for a contracting firm named Nuria Enterprise. In the same year, the contracting firm completed 20 percent of the work, took the payment, and then abandoned the project. As the work was not completed within the stipulated time according to the schedule, the work order for that contractor was cancelled on June 25, 2014. 

On April 21, 2024, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case against three engineers of the Directorate General of Health Services and the owner of the contracting firm. On July 24, 2022, another contracting firm named Kohinoor Enterprise received a work order for BDT 25 crore 11 lakh and was supposed to complete the building work within one year, but they too failed to complete the work and absconded.

 Subsequently, the Directorate General of Health Services filed a case against this contracting firm. Due to these cases and the negligence of contractors, the approximately 1.5 lakh residents of Kaukhali Upazila are being deprived of medical services as the only hospital meant to serve them has no completed building.