Road damaged even before work finished

Carpeting of a two and half kilometre-long newly renovated road in Aditmari upazila is getting damage at different points even before completion of its renovation work.

Local people, however, blamed use of low-quality construction materials for such work.

Earlier, Lalmonirhat Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) floated a tender to renovate the two and half kilometre-long road, stretching from Sakoya to Debirpat village under Saptibari union.

Contractor Shahadat Hussain Babu got the Tk 1.14 crore work order.

The work that started about a week ago is scheduled to be completed by today (Monday).

But the carpeting of the newly-renovated road got damaged in at least 20 spots before completion of the renovation work, locals alleged.

Locals said carpeting of the road worn out at many places due to use of sub-standard materials like bitumen and stones.

The entire road might get damage within the next three to four months as the contractor used sub-standard brick chips instead of standard quality before conducting the carpeting work, they alleged.

Villagers said they have complained to the engineer concern in this regard on several occasions, but to no avail.

Contacted, Shahadat Hussain Babu said the road renovation work is going on as per the schedule and in presence of the LGED engineer.

Criminals might have sabotaged the road at dead of night, he alleged.

Lalmonirhat LGED Sub Assistant Engineer Pervez Rubel, also in charge of the road repair work, denied the allegation of using substandard and less quantity of bitumen for carpeting the road.

Local people might have damaged the carpeting in different places at dead of night, he alleged.

He claimed that there was no irregularity in the road renovation work.

Lalmonirhat LGED Executive Engineer Akteruzzaman Hasan said he was not aware of the matter.

He will investigate the matter and take necessary action in this regard, the engineer said.