UP chairman's whim costs bridge

A union parishad chairman here dismantled an old bridge and took away its bricks and iron rods without prior permission of the authorities concerned, causing suffering to the villagers.

The bridge is located near Uttar Laximpur Bazar on Mohipur-Laxmipur road in Phulbari upazila of the district.

Abu Taher, chairman of Khoyerbari Union Parishad, said he was unaware about the open tender for selling the debris of the old bridge.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ehtesham Reza said the chairman dismantled the old bridge on his own without any prior permission from the upazila administration. He said his office is seriously looking into the matter.

Nabab Ali of Mohipur village said,“The bricks and iron rods of the old bridge should be sold through an open tender, but the chairman took those away.” He said the chairman did not even build a diversion road, he added.

Project Implementation Officer of Phulbari upazila Tazul Islam said the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation has allocated Tk 32.52 lakh recently for building a new bridge on Mohipur-Laxmipur road at Uttar Laximpur Bazar. He, however, refused to make any comment on dismantling the old bridge.

Taher dismantled the bridge and took away the bricks and iron rods in a bid to embezzle those, said local Awami League leader Murad Hossain. Taher kept the bricks and iron rods in his house and at the house of his close aide Aminul Islam, he said, adding that the market value of the bricks and iron rods is around Tk 5 lakh.

Meanwhile, the local people on Tuesday submitted memorandums to the deputy commissioner of Dinajpur and the Phulbari upazila UNO containing their demands about the irregularities and for investigation into the incident.