Bulbul Hossain, Taraganj (Rangpur)

The chairman of Alampur Union No. 1 in Taraganj Upazila of Rangpur has been accused of irregularities in work from the Development Assistance Fund. Although 2 lakh taka was allocated from the Union Development Assistance Fund for filling the field of Tentultala High School, serious questions have been raised about the actual quantity and quality of the work. Local guardians, school teachers and locals have alleged that much less soil has been dumped than allocated. As a result, even a little rain is causing waterlogging in the field and students are being forced to walk to school in knee-deep water.

It is learnt that due to waterlogging in the grounds of Tentultala High School during the rainy season, the school authorities requested the upazila administration to fill the grounds. Later, based on the estimate of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), a project of Tk 2 lakh was approved for filling the grounds from the Union Development Assistance Fund through Alampur Union. It is alleged that although the entire work was implemented under the supervision of Union Parishad Chairman Md. Rabiul Islam Russell, there is a considerable discrepancy between the project allocation and the actual work.

On Wednesday (August 5), it was seen that knee-deep water was still standing in the field. Students of Tentultala Government Primary School, located in the same field, are also entering the school every day through knee-deep water. This has created a fear of disruption to teaching as well as suffering for the students.

Anisul Haque, a guardian of a student at the school and a retired army member, said, "When I dropped my son off at school, I saw that a very small amount of soil had been dumped on the field. I think that more than 40,000 to 50,000 taka of soil was not given." Another guardian, Jobaidul Islam, a resident of Hajipara, said, "If the work cost 2 lakh taka, the field should not be in this condition. In reality, the amount of work that was done did not seem to be in line with the allocation."

Several teachers from the school, who did not wish to be named, said, "We feel that even soil worth 50,000 taka was not even put in the field, let alone soil worth 2 lakh taka. Even after the rain, the field is still waterlogged as before."

Meanwhile, Project Management Committee President Md. Delwar Hossain claimed that although he was made the president on paper, he was not informed about the project implementation. He said, "I was not informed about the ground filling work. I had no involvement in how the project work was done."

When asked about the allegations, Alampur Union Parishad Chairman Md. Rabiul Islam Russell denied all the allegations. He said, "Tk 2 lakh was allocated from the Union Development Assistance Fund for filling the field of Tentultala High School. The entire work of Tk 2 lakh has been implemented following government rules and regulations. There has been no irregularity or corruption in our work."

In this regard, Taraganj UNO. Md. Manabbar Hossain said, "The matter has come to our attention. The truth of the complaint will be verified and necessary investigation will be conducted. If any discrepancy is found in the quality and cost of the work during the investigation, necessary action will be taken. The project bill will not be paid before the investigation is completed."

Meanwhile, locals are demanding that an impartial investigation be conducted by verifying all relevant documents, including the actual work of the project, cost estimates, amount of soil supplied, LGED estimates, bills and vouchers.