Irregularities in renovation work : Carpeting being removed by hand in Kabirhat
Noakhali Correspondent
There have been allegations of using low-quality brick chips, stones and bitumen in road renovation work in Kabirhat Upazila of Noakhali
.Due to which, the carpeting of the road is being removed by hand the day after the work is completed. This raises questions about the quality of the renovation work.
Such a scene was witnessed during a field visit to the road from Kalam Hujur's shop to Italy Market in Nalua village, ward number 1 of Dhansiri union of the upazila. Locals alleged that the road is in such a bad condition due to the use of low-quality materials and less bitumen.
Local Chhatra Dal leader Abdul Hannan Hridoy said that since the renovation work began, there have been complaints about the use of substandard materials. Although the locals have informed the Upazila Engineer's office and the contractor's responsible persons about this several times, no effective action has been taken.
After investigation, it was learned that the carpeting on various parts of the Italy Market Road from Kalam Hujur's shop in Nalua village of the upazila had come off and the initiative was taken to repair it. A contractor named Chashi got the job of carpeting a two and a half kilometer road at a cost of about one crore taka.
Locals allege that the contractor's people managed Kabirhat Upazila Engineer Md. Islam Hossain and worked on carpeting the road for several days without following the schedule. Last Thursday (June 25), they completed 98 percent of the road's pouring work. The next day, Friday morning, the local people pulled the carpeting out by hand. When a video of the road in front of a local Nana Mia's shop went viral on Facebook, the contractor's people went to the road and cursed him on Friday afternoon. It is alleged that the contractor, the executive engineer of the concerned LGED, and the officials of the Noakhali office used substandard materials in collusion to create such a situation. Sheikh Mahfuzul Hossain, the executive engineer of the Noakhali LGED, is behind this. The engineers of his syndicate cooperated to pay the bill after completing the substandard work.
When this correspondent visited Kabirhat Upazila Engineer's office to verify the authenticity of the locals' complaints, the Upazila Engineer refused to provide any direct information about the complaint. Instead, he stood in favor of the contractor and said that to get the work schedule and related information, an application would have to be made under the Right to Information Act. He said that he would not provide any information beyond that.
Md. A young man named Saju said, there have been widespread irregularities since the work on this road started. Low-quality bitumen has been used in the carpeting. The specified thickness of the carpeting has not been maintained. As a result, the carpeting is coming off as soon as you touch it. The government spent so much money on the road, but all the money went down the drain due to the corruption of LGED and the contractor. How can heavy vehicles ply where the road carpet is being lifted by hand? The government is infamous for LGED-contractors.
Although several calls were made to the contractor Md. Chashi's mobile phone to inquire about the complaint, he did not answer the phone. Therefore, no statement was received from him regarding the matter.
When asked about this, Kabirhat Upazila Engineer Md. Islam Hossain said, based on the complaints of the local residents, he went to inspect the work several times. The complaint that has been raised does not fall under any complaint. Some eager people have removed the carpeting. The road work has already been completed. If you have any information, please apply under the Information Act. Then I will provide information.
However, denying the allegations, Noakhali LGED Executive Engineer Sheikh Mahfuzul Hossain said, "There is no issue of syndicate here. If there is negligence anywhere, we will investigate the matter and take necessary action."
Such a scene was witnessed during a field visit to the road from Kalam Hujur's shop to Italy Market in Nalua village, ward number 1 of Dhansiri union of the upazila. Locals alleged that the road is in such a bad condition due to the use of low-quality materials and less bitumen.
Local Chhatra Dal leader Abdul Hannan Hridoy said that since the renovation work began, there have been complaints about the use of substandard materials. Although the locals have informed the Upazila Engineer's office and the contractor's responsible persons about this several times, no effective action has been taken.
After investigation, it was learned that the carpeting on various parts of the Italy Market Road from Kalam Hujur's shop in Nalua village of the upazila had come off and the initiative was taken to repair it. A contractor named Chashi got the job of carpeting a two and a half kilometer road at a cost of about one crore taka.
Locals allege that the contractor's people managed Kabirhat Upazila Engineer Md. Islam Hossain and worked on carpeting the road for several days without following the schedule. Last Thursday (June 25), they completed 98 percent of the road's pouring work. The next day, Friday morning, the local people pulled the carpeting out by hand. When a video of the road in front of a local Nana Mia's shop went viral on Facebook, the contractor's people went to the road and cursed him on Friday afternoon. It is alleged that the contractor, the executive engineer of the concerned LGED, and the officials of the Noakhali office used substandard materials in collusion to create such a situation. Sheikh Mahfuzul Hossain, the executive engineer of the Noakhali LGED, is behind this. The engineers of his syndicate cooperated to pay the bill after completing the substandard work.
When this correspondent visited Kabirhat Upazila Engineer's office to verify the authenticity of the locals' complaints, the Upazila Engineer refused to provide any direct information about the complaint. Instead, he stood in favor of the contractor and said that to get the work schedule and related information, an application would have to be made under the Right to Information Act. He said that he would not provide any information beyond that.
Md. A young man named Saju said, there have been widespread irregularities since the work on this road started. Low-quality bitumen has been used in the carpeting. The specified thickness of the carpeting has not been maintained. As a result, the carpeting is coming off as soon as you touch it. The government spent so much money on the road, but all the money went down the drain due to the corruption of LGED and the contractor. How can heavy vehicles ply where the road carpet is being lifted by hand? The government is infamous for LGED-contractors.
Although several calls were made to the contractor Md. Chashi's mobile phone to inquire about the complaint, he did not answer the phone. Therefore, no statement was received from him regarding the matter.
When asked about this, Kabirhat Upazila Engineer Md. Islam Hossain said, based on the complaints of the local residents, he went to inspect the work several times. The complaint that has been raised does not fall under any complaint. Some eager people have removed the carpeting. The road work has already been completed. If you have any information, please apply under the Information Act. Then I will provide information.
However, denying the allegations, Noakhali LGED Executive Engineer Sheikh Mahfuzul Hossain said, "There is no issue of syndicate here. If there is negligence anywhere, we will investigate the matter and take necessary action."
