Zafrul Sadique, Sariakandi (Bogura)

There have been allegations of widespread irregularities, corruption and mismanagement in the soil work of rural road renovation and maintenance under the Labour Contracting Society (LCS) Project of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). Locals have complained against a section of officials and employees of Upazila LGED.

It is learnt that all the workers appointed by the former MP Sahadara Mannan during the Awami League government are working under the name of another person in the list even though they are not old. All of them are from the Awami League.

A labour group of 30 people divided into two groups has been working for a long time in the upazila. The main objective of this government scheme was to create employment for rural poor and destitute women. But it has been alleged that the purpose is being thwarted with the connivance of local influential and corrupt officials. Bank accounts are opened in the names of distressed women, but the check books of those accounts are under the control of office brokers.

The workers were given a nominal amount and the rest was looted. Even if there are names of 30 workers in the master roll, only 18 to 20 people are employed in the field, the remaining money is being pocketed. There is no official supervision starting from the supervisor.

The officials and employees of the concerned department are getting their fingers swollen due to such cases. Investigation revealed that in many areas, the entire allocation is being embezzled by showing fake LCS on paper without actually forming any workers or distressed women groups. Local engineers and middlemen are creating this fake list. Even if the name of another person is in the list, the same person is enjoying the benefit again and again. Also, there are cases of taking hundred percent of the bill without doing any kind of work even after spending the whole day lying down at the work site.

The working women workers said, our comrades Mannan MP has given us the opportunity to work. We pray for him. We have been working since the time of Amleek till now. As we are busy, we have taken the work here with the ID cards of various relatives. Sirs have also arranged the ID cards of two people.

Upazila LGED Community Organizer Deepak Chandra Sutradhar did not agree to speak in the absence of senior officials.

Sariakandi Upazila Engineer Tuhin Sarkar said on the phone that new women workers are appointed every three years. After three years a laborer can work again. These are poor people but after registering with one's NID no one else can work in his place but can work as a proxy. Many of them have been employed by talking to the current MP sahib.

When contacted, Sariakandi UNO SM Mikail Islam said, if complaints are received, necessary action will be taken subject to investigation.

MP for Bogra-1 Constituency Kazi Rafiqul Islam said on the phone, I do not know anything about this. If anyone speaks of me, he is lying.

Conscious people in the area have demanded a fair investigation into the irregularities of this project, cancellation of the temporary workers in the banned Awami League government and strict action against those involved.