Rajshahi, July 03 (V7N) - There have been allegations of widespread irregularities and corruption in the rural road development project in Mandail village of Rishikul Union No. 4 of Godagari Upazila of Rajshahi. Local residents have alleged that low-quality materials were used in the work of paving the unpaved road from Shri Ujjal's house in Paschim Para of the union to Khatam Para Mosque. A written complaint has already been submitted to the District Commissioner regarding the matter.
On behalf of the local residents, Mostafizur Rahman Himel complained, “We do not get a clear idea of the work being done in our village. When we go to inquire about the work, the chairman or members do not tell us anything.” Expressing strong anger over the quality of the work, he further said, “Very low-quality No. 2 and No. 3 bricks are being used in the road work. Besides, the mixture of bricks, sand and cement is also of very low quality.”
It is learnt that although the road was measured by the Upazila Project Implementation Officer's office about a month ago, the work of paving 70-80 feet of Herringbone Bond (HBB) was done only ten days ago. Locals claim that an attempt is being made to embezzle the majority of the money by doing nominal work on this project, which was allocated 3 lakh taka.
When asked about this, Rishikul Union Parishad Acting Chairman Mahabubur Rahman Titu said that this is the work of paving the road HBB under the ADP (Annual Development Program) funding. Acknowledging the locals' complaints, he said, "I have been ordered to look into the matter from the UNO (Upazila Executive Officer) office. I will personally see the work on the ground and submit a detailed report on this matter."
When contacted, Upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) Mominul Haque confirmed the receipt of the complaint and said, "We have received the complaint. Not only this one work, but all the development works underway in that union, I will personally go and inspect all of them on the ground and verify the quality of the work."
Meanwhile, attempts were made to contact Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Kazi Shahidul Islam on his mobile phone to get his statement on the irregularities in the project and the written complaints of the locals, but he did not receive the call. Later, no response was received even after sending a message to his personal WhatsApp number.
There is intense anger among the locals over the road work. The locals demand that the district administration immediately investigate the matter on the ground, take strict legal action against the culprits, and complete the road work in a sustainable manner.
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