Link Road Built by BNP Leader’s Contracting Firm Collapses Just Three Months After Completion

❐ Staff Reporter

A culvert connecting the road, built at a cost of about Tk 2.5 million under the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation’s (BADC) irrigation development project in Nalchiti upazila of Jhalakathi, collapsed just three months after its construction.

This has raised serious questions among locals about the quality of the project’s construction. Locals have accused those responsible of negligence and poor quality construction work as the project, which was implemented with government funds, was damaged in such a short period of time.

According to local sources and the BADC office, Tk 2,476,540 was allocated for the construction of a culvert under the irrigation development project in the Maluhar area of ​​Mollarhat Union of Nalchiti Upazila in the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Tarmin Enterprise, a contractor from Ramnagar area of ​​Dinajpur, won the job through a tender. Later, the company gave the responsibility of implementing the construction work to Jhalokati Sadar Upazila BNP President Ejaz Hasan as a subcontractor.

Although work on the project was supposed to begin in March 2025 and be completed by June, it actually took until April of this year to complete the work.

However, locals complain that before the construction of the connection road was fully completed, the contracting company withdrew almost the entire project amount, about 2.475 million taka, as a bill.

It was observed on the spot that bricks have been scattered on the ground of the connecting road on both sides of the culvert. As a result, vehicle movement on the road has become risky. Pedestrians are also moving in distress.

Local residents have alleged that the soil was not properly filled and compacted before the construction of the connection road. As a result, the soil settled within a short period of time, damaging the entire connection road.

They further allege that the construction of the culvert was also shown as completed by simply painting it without providing the necessary finishing touches.

Several residents said that they had raised objections to the quality of the work during the construction work. But their complaints were not taken seriously. Now, they claim that their fears have been proven true as the road has collapsed within a few months.

Meanwhile, the project’s subcontractor and Jhalokati Sadar Upazila BNP president Ejaz Hasan denied the allegations of irregularities in the construction. He said that the work was done according to the prescribed rules.

He claims that the connecting road may have collapsed due to continuous rains.

On the other hand, BADC Jhalokati District Office Assistant Engineer Md. Jamal Uddin said that the matter has come to their attention. They will inspect the scene and investigate the reason for the collapse of the connecting road.

He said that if any defects are found in the construction work, necessary action will be taken against those concerned according to the terms of the contract.

However, he could not provide a satisfactory explanation when asked how the contractor had raised almost the entire bill for the project before the construction of the connection road was completely completed.

The incident has angered locals. They demand an impartial investigation into the quality of the government-funded project. They also call for administrative action against those responsible and for the speedy reconstruction of the damaged connecting roads.