Corruption eats up road project in Chandpur

Allegations have been raised against the contractor of using low-grade materials while repairing a four-kilometre stretch of a key road in Kachua upazila of Chandpur.

 The carpeting on the busy Rahimnagar-Bhateshwar road in the upazila wore off within 24 hours after the repair work, locals said.  According to official sources, the repair work on the four-kilometer road started with a cost of Tk 95 crore in March this year. The work was stopped after fixing 1.2km in two months, reports UNB.

Meanwhile, potholes appeared on the road, making driving very difficult and risky. The repair work started again after many applications were sent to the authorities concerned. During a recent visit, the UNB Correspondent found that repair work on the 1-km stretch of the road was completed.

But residents of some nearby villages said low-quality materials were used in the carpeting that started wearing off within 24 hours after the renovation work. Locals, who declined to be named, said they informed the matter to the upazila engineering department but its authorities did not take any steps to prevent it.

They said the road was peppered with potholes within two months of the repair work.Didar Hossain, a local Jubo League leader and contactor of the road repair work, could not be reached for comments.
 
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Dipayan Das said he has joined here recently. "I'll take the allegations into account. Necessary legal measures will be taken if allegations of irregularities are found to be true," he said.