Substandard materials used in road work

Substandard materials are allegedly being used in construction of a paved road is Basail upazila, thanks to the alleged negligence of the authorities concerned.

Construction of the 700-meter-long road, stretching from Basail Union Parishad (UP) Office to Nayapara, under the government's Priority Basis Rural Infrastructure Development (IRIDP-3) Project is going on in full swing.

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is implementing the Tk 87.90 lakh project.

Construction firm Doyel Enterprise got the work order.

Locals, however, alleged that the contractor concern is using low quality and abandoned brick cheeps, bringing those from a nearby brick kiln that remain closed for a decade now.

Moreover, the soil beside the narrow road has collapsed at different places due to low-quality work, they alleged, adding that although the sub-base is supposed to be 10-inch-wide, the contractor made it only 6-inch-wide.

They also alleged that no one from the upazila engineer's office come to supervise the work. 

Mahfuzur Rahman, owner of the construction firm, said the gave subcontract of the work to one Matin, who is doing the construction work.

A number of locals said as the subcontractor is a local influential man, they do not dare to protest the irregularities fearing harassment.

Nowshad Rana, a rights activist, said after being informed about the low-quality work, he along with some other locals visited spot and found huge substandard brick chips at different places.

"When we asked about the matter, the sub-contractor misbehaved with us," Nowshad said, adding that although the work is half done, the contractor already withdrew over 50 percent of the total bill.

Despite repeated attempts this correspondent could not reach subcontractor Matin for his comment in this regard.   

Basail LGED upazila Engineer Abdul Jalil, however, denied allegation of using low-quality brick chips in the road construction work.

The contractor brought few trucks of substandard brick chips to prevent the erosion beside the road and later took those from at the site after they directed them to do so," he said.