BNP government’s development project: Road cracks, carpeting removed within 15 days of construction in Rangpur

❐ Local correspondent

Just two weeks after the inauguration of a government-funded road, the carpeting has started to come off in various places. In some places, there are big potholes, in others, cracks, and in others, the pitch and dirt are coming off with a little pressure from the hand.

The poor condition of this road, which was completed at a cost of approximately 8.753 million taka, has created anger and concern among the locals.

Allegations of poor quality construction materials and negligence in supervision have been raised regarding the current condition of the road in the Kishamat Sherpur area of ​​Betgari Union in Gangachara Upazila of Rangpur.

However, the contracting company denied these allegations and blamed the heavy rain.

According to the Roads and Highways (RHD) Department, carpeting of 2,600 square meters of roads in Kishamat Sherpur area was done under the Periodic Maintenance Program (PMP) for the fiscal year 2025-26. The cost of the project is estimated at 87 lakh 53 thousand taka.

The work was implemented by ‘Hossain Traders and Corporation’. But within just 15 days of the completion of the work, complaints surfaced that the carpeting had come off in various parts of the road.

Upon arrival at the scene, it was seen that the carpeting on various parts of the road had been lifted, creating small and large holes. In some places, the connection between the bitumen and the stones had become loose, while in others, the layer of asphalt was coming off easily.

In addition, the edging bricks on both sides of the road have been placed higher than the original carpeting. As a result, rainwater cannot drain away quickly and accumulates on the road. Locals complain that this is damaging the new carpeting more quickly.

Local resident Ariful Haque said, “If a road built at a cost of lakhs of taka cannot last even 15 days, then it is natural to question the quality of the construction work. He claimed that the pitch comes out when you rub it with your hand, which is proof of poor quality work.”

Another resident, Md. Belal, questioned that the bricks on both sides of the road have been placed so high that the natural drainage path has been blocked. He also raised the question of how the engineers and supervisors in charge approved the work even though the common people understand the issue.

Betgari Union Parishad Chairman Mohaiminul Islam said that during the construction work, he had warned the contractor several times about ensuring the quality of the work. However, he claimed that the contractor did not pay attention to his advice.

Denying the allegations, Redwan Iqbal, a representative of the contractor, Hossain Traders and Corporation, said that some parts of the road were damaged due to heavy rain during the construction work. He rejected the allegations of poor quality work.

According to the representative of the organization owned by the BNP leader, the organization is repairing the places where problems have arisen with its own funds.

Rangpur Sewage Works Executive Engineer Moniruzzaman said that the issue of water accumulating and damaging the carpeting due to the high brickwork of the edging is not an acceptable explanation. The entire incident is being investigated.

He said that if the investigation finds evidence of negligence in supervision, irregularities in construction work, or poor quality work, strict administrative action will be taken against those responsible according to the rules.

According to locals, if infrastructure built with government funds is destroyed within a few weeks, then it is necessary to examine not only the contractor, but also the role of those involved in supervising the work and verifying the quality.

They claim that if those responsible are identified through an impartial investigation of the incident and exemplary action is taken, it will be possible to prevent many irregularities and poor quality work in government development projects in the future.