Tangail May 08 (V7N) -  The completion of two road construction projects under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Tangail was finally achieved after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) filed a case alleging embezzlement of Tk 5.3 million without project completion. The pressure exerted by the ACC and final notices issued by the LGED Executive Engineer's Office were instrumental in pushing the contractors to finish the work.

In August 2019, M/s. Fends Construction secured a contract worth Tk 22 million to construct 1,600 meters of road with pitch and three box culverts from Daptiyar Bazar to Kadim Kakna on the Tebaria Road, starting from Daptiyar Union Parishad in Nagarpur Upazila. Subsequently, in February 2020, M/s Syed Mujibur Rahman and Avni Enterprise (JV) were contracted for Tk 4.4 million for pitch work on the Singjora to Natorbhanga section of the Goyhata-Bhara road in the same upazila. Despite repeated requests from the LGED Executive Engineer's office, progress remained stagnant, causing significant hardship for the local community due to the prolonged delays. Consequently, the Tangail LGED Executive Engineer, Mohammad Kamruzzaman, issued final notices to both M/s Fends Construction on March 6th and to M/s Mujibur Rahman and Avni Enterprise (JV) on March 12th of this year.

Following allegations of misappropriation, the Tangail District Office of the Anti-Corruption Commission concluded its initial investigation and filed two cases on April 27th (Sunday). The accused in the ACC cases included Md. Rafiqul Islam, former executive engineer of Tangail LGED and current executive engineer of the Monitoring and Evaluation Branch of the head office; Mahbubur Rahman, former upazila engineer of Nagarpur; Shahidul Islam, deputy assistant engineer; Mohammad Mainul Haque, former deputy assistant engineer; Shahidur Rahman Khan, proprietor of M/s. Fends Construction; and Syed Mujibur Rahman, proprietor of M/s. Syed Mujibur Rahman.

On the ground, the 1,600 meters of pitch casting and the construction of three box culverts on the Daptiyar Union Parishad-Tebaria road from Daptiyar Bazar to Kadim Kakna have now been completed. Local residents, including SSC examinee Md. Firoz Sheikh, 10th-grade student Md. Ashiq Hossain, Md. Kalim Uddin, farmer Haider Sheikh, housewives Mosha. Parveen Akhter and Ambia Khatun, and autorickshaw drivers Dinu Sheikh, Bachchu Sheikh, Kafil Sheikh, and Nurul Islam, expressed their relief and happiness. They had endured significant suffering due to the contractor's intermittent work stoppages but are now benefiting from the paved road. Similarly, the road from Singjora to Natorbhanga on the Goyhata to Bhadra road was completed on May 6th. Farmers and residents of Singjora-Natorbhanga village, including Md. Sadiqur Rahman, Bablu Mia, students Naeem Uddin and Abul Sheikh, and housewives Anjuman Ara and Sahera Banu, recounted their difficulties caused by the delayed and inconsistent work. They are now pleased to have a paved road connecting Singjora market to Natorbhanga, although they still face the challenge of crossing a wooden bridge over a nearby pond, hoping for a proper bridge or road in the future to improve connectivity with Sahabatpur and Nagarpur Sadar.

Shahidur Rahman Khan, the owner of M/s Friends Construction, explained that his health issues and a trip to India for treatment without sufficient funds hindered timely completion. He claimed to have requested the Upazila Engineer to release the full payment to facilitate his treatment, which further delayed the project. However, after receiving the executive engineer's final notice and the filing of the ACC case, he prioritized and completed the work quickly. In contrast, Syed Mujibur Rahman, the owner of M/s. Syed Mujibur Rahman and a local Awami League leader, reportedly went into hiding after the "fascist Sheikh Hasina" fled, making direct contact impossible. Nevertheless, his representative, Ayub Ali, oversaw the completion of the road work from Singjora to Natorbhanga.

Md. Rafiqul Islam, the former Tangail LGED executive engineer, stated that the contracts were awarded following due process and that the contractors were granted extensions for various reasons but still failed to complete the work, possibly due to the influence of power at the time. The current Tangail LGED Executive Engineer, Mohammad Kamruzzaman, confirmed that he repeatedly warned the contractors to complete the projects after assuming his role. The final notices and the subsequent ACC case finally compelled them to finish the construction.

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