Two Bulldozers Worth Tk 20 Crore Become a Burden
Graphics: Agamir Somoy generated by AI
Khulna City Corporation (KCC) spent Tk 2.2 million in the last fiscal year to repair two bulldozers. Despite the significant expenditure, neither vehicle became operational. Now, the two non-functional bulldozers are once again undergoing repairs, with the corporation estimating an additional cost of at least Tk 1.2 million. However, even after repair work began four months ago and parts were dismantled, the vehicles have yet to be restored.
Several anonymous KCC officials alleged that corruption and embezzlement are taking place under the guise of repair work.
A field visit revealed that all 31 wards of the city generate around 500 tons of household waste daily. Waste is first collected from homes or designated points and transported to 12 Secondary Transfer Stations (STS). From there, garbage trucks carry it to the permanent landfill at Rajbandh along the Khulna-Satkhira highway, where bulldozers are used to move and manage the waste.
According to the corporation, four bulldozers were once used for waste management at the Rajbandh landfill. The first bulldozer was auctioned off in 2021, while the second has remained abandoned at the landfill for a long time. The third bulldozer was purchased in 2014 and the fourth in 2018. Since then, operations relied on these two machines, but both have remained out of service for the past one and a half years, making proper waste removal difficult.
Sources from KCC’s mechanical division said that Tk 2,210,732 was spent on repairing the third and fourth bulldozers during the 2024–25 fiscal year. Of that amount, Tk 1,054,839 was spent on the third bulldozer, with an additional Tk 5,400 spent in the current fiscal year. Meanwhile, Tk 1,150,493 was spent repairing the fourth bulldozer during the same fiscal period.
Anonymous employees from the conservancy division and landfill workers claimed that although huge sums were reportedly spent on repairs, the vehicles were not properly fixed, leaving them unusable for over a year and a half. About four months ago, parts from one of the bulldozers were removed again, but they have yet to be reinstalled, and the machine remains inoperative.
Due to the shortage of bulldozers, waste is currently not being moved efficiently. Instead, long-boom or wheel dozer vehicles are piling waste into mountain-like heaps along landfill roadsides. Officials say this increases fuel costs, as the waste will later need to be relocated again, requiring additional machinery and fuel.
Environmental activist and Secretary of the Khulna chapter of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SUJON), Qudrat-e-Khuda, expressed concern over the lack of results despite heavy spending in such a critical sector.
He alleged that corruption and financial misappropriation are occurring in the name of repairs and called for an independent investigation into both the repair expenses and work quality. If evidence of irregularities or corruption is found, legal action should follow. He also emphasized that waste management directly affects public health and the environment, requiring urgent action.
Responding to questions about why the bulldozers remained unusable despite massive expenditures, KCC Deputy Assistant Engineer of the Mechanical Division, Selimul Azad, said he was not part of the division during the 2024–25 fiscal year. However, he noted that each bulldozer cost at least Tk 20 million. Currently, one machine requires engine repairs, while the other needs work on its crankshaft, rings, and pistons. He estimated that at least Tk 1.2 million would be needed to restore both vehicles, citing the need to procure materials from Dhaka and hire outside mechanics due to a shortage of skilled technicians within the corporation.
Meanwhile, KCC Administrator Nazrul Islam Monju said he had personally inspected the landfill situation and that improved waste management measures would be introduced soon. He added that the engineering department is working on the bulldozer issue and that although the repair matter had not yet reached him, it would be thoroughly investigated.
