Work yet to be complete

Construction work of the 10-storey chief judicial magistrate's court in the district is yet to be finished 65 months after it started in early 2012.

The construction of the building  was scheduled to be completed by January 2014.  

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha expressed his serious dissatisfaction at the delay, while speaking at the divisional judgeship and judicial magistracy conference in Bogra Circuit House on May 2. He ordered the executive engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) in the district to hand over at least four floors by May 31 this year.

Executive Engineer of PWD Salauddin Ahmed and lawyers said the project was initiated by the government in 2010 and the tender activities ended in 2011. The then state minister for law Kamrul Islam laid the foundation stone in the beginning of 2012.

Although Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the building on November 12 in 2015, it is yet to be opened for use, the lawyers said.

Salauddin said Masuma OK (MOK) Construction got the work order of Tk 23 crore and was instructed to finish the work by January 2014, but the firm could not complete the construction until now though the time schedule was extended twice.

Horizon Techno Limited is installing three lifts for Tk 2.05 crore and Brothers Construction is installing a power transformer for Tk 0.86 crore.

Bogra Bar Association President Lutfe Galib Al Jahid Mridul said activities of the judiciary are being hampered due to delay in construction of the building.

Activities of 10 courts have been going on in 10 rented rooms of Gawhar Ali Bar Building, the district administration building and the zila parishad building, causing suffering to lawyers and clients due to scarcity of sitting arrangements, the Bar president said.

Owner of MOK Masudur Rahman Milon said construction of the infrastructure has already been finished and installation of lifts, doors, windows and other works are being done by other companies. MOK can hand over the building any time the PWD wants, he added.

The completion date was extended twice and the design of the building was changed several times, which led to the delay, the executive engineer of PWD said, adding that they are hopeful of handing over the building within the time frame to the authority concerned.