Engineer held for using bamboo for rods in school toilet

An engineer of Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) and a contractor have been arrested for using bamboo sticks instead of iron rods in construction of a school’s toilet in Gaibandha.

The arrestees are: Arif Billah Dakua, sub-assistant engineer of DPHE and Abdul Khaleque, contractor of the construction work.

“The arrest was made after Anti-Corruption Commission found that bamboo sticks were used instead of iron rods in construction of a toilet of Meghdomor Government Primary School in Ramchandrapur union,” said AKM Mehdi Hasan, officer-in-charge of Gaibandha Sadar Police Station.

Earlier, the commission filed a case with this police station, he added.

Later, police produced the arrestees to Gaibandha court and the magistrate sent them to jail.

On April 9, locals demolished the under-construction wash blocks at the school premises for using bamboo sticks instead of iron rods inside those.

On Sunday, the DPHE chief engineer formed an eight-member investigation committee headed by Ramchandrapur Union Chairman Rafiqul Islam to probe the allegation.

Locals said contractor Abdul Khaleque started the construction work after being awarded it for Tk 8,50,000 as the lowest bidder on September last year.

The labours work in the night and used bamboo sticks instead of iron rods, the alleged.

Later, they stopped the work and demolished the wash blocks and demanded exemplary punishment of the contractor.