Rainwater seeps through recently renovated roofs
Valuable machinery of Saidpur railway workshop are getting damaged rainwater seeps through the recently reconstructed roofs of different 'mini units' at the workshop.
The situation has arisen as the construction firm concerned used low quality materials, officials said.
The government launched 'Saidpur railway workshop modernisation project' with an estimated cost of Tk 156 crore as the workshop established in 1870 during British era was facing production drawbacks due to old machinery and infrastructure, officials said.
The project work started on February 6 in 2011, to be implemented under four packages.
Dhaka-based construction firm Toma Construction and Company got work order for a package which includes changing of age-old sheds (roofs) of 17 shops (mini workshops) like paint shop, blacksmith shop, carriage construction shop, production machine shop with new ones, construction of floors and setting up of water pumps.
Reconstruction of the 17 shops under the Tk 42 crore package was completed by February 15 this year.
Work is going on under three other packages including renewal of 60-km rail tracks at the workshop, supply and setting up of different machinery in electrical and mechanical department and so on.
Visiting the workshop a few days ago, journalists found machinery, electric wiring and the floors getting wet with rainwater trickling down the newly built sheds that rusted and developed small holes, as low quality sheets were used in making the sheds. Cracks also developed on the newly built floors.
As per schedule it was obligatory to use high quality zinc aluminium sheets in roofs but ordinary MS sheets were used instead, said sources at Saidpur rail workshop.
Work is badly disturbed when it rains, workers said.
Abdul Khaleque, a machinist of production machine shop, said they have to work amid life risk as the entire shop gets electrified when it dampens much.
Md Moniruzzaman, executive engineer of 'Saidpur railway workshop modernization project', said they informed the project director in Dhaka of the matter.
Harun Ur Rashid, the project director, said he would investigate the matter and take necessary step according to rules if irregularities are found.
Kazi Md Shamsul Huq, site engineer of Toma Construction and Company, said, "The work was completed according to schedule. As per terms and condition of the project, we will monitor entire package works till February 15 2015. Accordingly, we have started repairing some sheds as defects were found."
Nur Ahmed Hossain, divisional superintendent of Saidpur railway workshop, said, "Rainwater entering the shops causes damage to machinery, and hampers work. I informed the higher authorities about the matter. The construction firm concerned recently started repairing works at the direction of the higher authority."
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