Teachers, students suffer for delay in building construction
![](https://tds-images.thedailystar.net/sites/default/files/styles/big_202/public/images/2021/12/23/school-house.jpg)
Although the deadline for the construction of a government primary school in Madaripur has exceeded two and a half years ago, the contractor concerned yet to complete the work.
The delay in the construction work has been causing sufferings to the teachers and students of the institution.
Established in 1995, Pashchim Kamlapur Government Primary School in Madaripur's Dashar upazila got nationalized in January, 2013.
The school, built on 33 decimals of land, has a total of 116 students and four teachers.
According to Kalkini upazila Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), a tender was floated, under the Newly Nationalized Government Primary School Development Project-1 Fund, for the construction of Pashchim Kamlapur Government Primary School building at a cost of over Tk 59 lakh in 2016-17 fiscal year.
Contractor firm MM Builders and Engineers Limited of Dhaka got the work in June 2018, and later sold the work to another contractor, Syed Tuhin Hasan.
But, again another contractor, MS Mazeda Traders, took over the work from Tuhin and started the construction of the schoolhouse.
Surprisingly, after completing the roof the contractor concern withdrew 85 percent of the contract money.
According to the agreement, the work was supposed to start in June, 2018, and completed by June, 2019.
Obaidul Haque, headmaster of Pashchim Kamlapur Government Primary School, said due to the delay in construction work they are taking classes in a tin-shed house of five rooms.
Now locals use the under construction building for their personal purpose, much to the sufferings for students and teachers, the headmaster said.
"I have written to different departments to complete the construction work, but no step has been taken yet," he said, adding that construction of almost all the schools under the project has already been completed.
"As we are compel to take classes in the old tin-shed house, the number of students is also decreasing," he further said.
Hanif Matubbar, an assistant teacher of the school, said due to the delay in building construction they are the worst sufferer as it is quite impossible to take classes under the tin-shed in the summer.
School Managing Committee President Kazi Anwar Hossain said they tried their best to cooperate, but the situation arises due to the negligence of the contractor concerned.
Abul Khair, owner of MS Mazeda Traders, said he has completed most of the work, but couldn't finish it due to personal problems.
Rezaul Karim, an engineer at Kalkini Upazila LGED, said he has asked the contractor concerned to finish the work and the later assured him to complete the work soon.
Comments