Bamboo used instead of iron bar in Tk 10-crore bridge!
Photo: Agamir Somoy
In the Basail municipal area of Tangail, bamboo strips have been used instead of iron bar in the construction of a Tk 10-crore bridge.
The project has laid bare a stark picture of extreme mismanagement, corruption, and irregularities, triggering intense anger among local residents.
According to available information, a 90-meter-long PSC girder bridge is being constructed at 2,305-meter chainage in the Maijkhara area under Ward No. 1 of Basail Municipality, with a contract value set at Tk 10.09 crore.
Although the bridge was being built to fulfill a long-standing demand of the locals, the contracting firm—M/S Yunus Al Mamun–M/S Zakir Enterprise—used bamboo strips instead of iron bar under the cover of darkness.
Shihab Khan, a resident of Basail, said: "Using bamboo instead of iron rod in a Tk 10-crore government project is not just an irregularity; it clearly tantamounts to a conspiracy for mass murder. Will an investigation committee uncover who is behind this culture of evading responsibility and sheer incompetence? Or will this too be swept under the rug like many other incidents? That remains to be seen."
Abdul Aziz Miah of Maijkhara village said, "The contractor's men work late at night after we go to sleep, past 12:00 AM. When local residents spoke up about this, they were threatened with extortion cases."
Attempts to contact the contracting firm regarding the matter were unsuccessful.
The Upazila Engineering Office confirmed the authenticity of the allegations regarding the use of bamboo instead of rebar in the construction work. They stated that the matter has been reported to the Executive Engineer, along with recommendations to take necessary action.
Basail Sub-Assistant Engineer Moniruzzaman said, "They carried out the work under the cover of night without informing us. Action will certainly be taken against the contractor."
Upon receiving the complaint, the Basail Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) visited the spot to verify the evidence firsthand. Finding the allegations to be true on-site, he announced the formation of an investigation committee to take action against the contractor.
Basail Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Iqbal Hossain said that such irregularities will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
