Serious allegations of irregularities and corruption have surfaced over the construction of a nearly 7-kilometer road in Bandarban, being built at a cost of around 30 crore taka with funding from the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).
Ignoring rules and regulations, the use of low-quality construction materials, extreme negligence in maintaining thickness and quality of work, and mere token supervision have turned the entire project into what locals describe as a glaring example of contractor-driven plunder.
According to local allegations, low-quality bricks, unclean sand, and old, unsuitable stones are being used in the construction of the nearly 7-kilometer road from Roisha Bazar to Gayalia Khala under three packages. Due to a lack of proper supervision by the concerned authorities, contractors are carrying out the work arbitrarily. The careless execution of a road project costing 30 crore taka has created strong resentment among local residents.
It is alleged that the LGED officials responsible for supervising the project are not regularly present in the field and are releasing bills while sitting in their offices. As a result, contractors are getting opportunities to misuse government funds without obstruction. In the words of locals, “This is not development; this is an open mockery using public money.” The use of low-quality construction materials has raised serious concerns among residents about the durability of the road.
Regarding this, Gayalia Khala resident Mansur Alam said that crores of taka of public money are being spent on road construction, yet substandard materials are being used. The brick chips used on the road are extremely poor in quality and crumble into pieces under slight pressure. He said that if this continues, the road built at such a huge cost may not even last a year. He added that if there had been proper supervision, contractors would not have had the chance to commit such irregularities, and it appears that through collusion with the authorities, the road construction is being used as a means of looting public money.
Confirming the truth of the incident, Bandarban Sadar Union Chairman Aungshahla Marma said that from the very beginning of the road construction, contractors have been using low-quality materials through irregular practices. Despite informing LGED authorities several times about the irregularities based on public complaints, no effective action was taken. Although the work improved briefly, irregularities resumed afterward. He warned that if the road is built with substandard materials in this way, it will not last even a year, despite the huge expenditure. He demanded proper supervision to ensure construction quality.
On this issue, contractor Azam of Milton Traders said that there are no brick kilns in Bandarban, and bricks have to be brought from far away, which is why such bricks are being used in road construction.
Admitting the use of substandard brick chips in some parts of the road, Upazila Engineer of Bandarban Sadar LGED, Anupam, said that they have noticed the issue and instructed the contractor to remove the poor-quality brick chips and replace them with better-quality materials.
Bandarban Local Government Engineering Department’s Executive Engineer Pratipad Dewan said that LGED does not give contractors any opportunity to commit irregularities. If any kind of irregularity is found in construction work, action will be taken against the contractor.
According to LGED sources, the nearly 7-kilometer road construction from Roisha Bazar to Gayalia Khala is being implemented by two contracting firms—Milton Traders and S. Ananta.
Meanwhile, conscious citizens have demanded an immediate high-level investigation into the project. They warned that unless strict action is taken against the responsible contractors and officials and the quality of work is re-evaluated, this 30-crore-taka road project will be remembered as yet another failed and disgraced development project in the history of Bandarban.
