Locals suffer as work left incomplete
Several thousand people of different villages have been suffering immensely as renovation work of Bhatibari-Moghalhat road in Sadar upazila has remained incomplete for nearly two years.
About thirty-five percent of the road renovation work has been left unfinished, depriving commuters of different facilities, locals said.
The road widening work was supposed to be completed by February 2023, but only 65 percent of the work has been done so far, they said, adding that as a result, commuters, especially pedestrians, have been facing extreme difficulties in reaching their destinations using the incomplete road.
Locals said about 2,500 roadside trees on both side of the eight-kilometre-long road at Moghalhat union in Sadar upazila have been felled in the name of road widening work.
Since the contractor concerned left the parts of the road widening work incomplete, it has been pretty difficult for drivers to carry passengers and different goods using the half-done road.
Trader Nur Islam of Bhatibari area said many drivers do not want to use the road as numerous potholes have developed at different spots of the incomplete road.
He said local people will be greatly benefited if the road widening work would have been completed in scheduled time.
According to Lalmonirhat Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), LGED took the initiative to widen the eight-kilometre-long Bhatibari-Moghalhat under the 'Cyclone Ampan and Flood Damaged Road Rehabilitation Project' in 2021.
Contractors Belal Construction and Hamid Traders jointly got the Tk 6 crore work order to widen the road from 12-feet to 18-feet on August 12 the same year.
Though the road widening work was scheduled to be completed by February 2023, only 65 percent work has been done so far.
The contractors, however, already withdrawn about 53 percent of the total bill, LGED sources said.
Contacted, Contractor Badruzzaman Plaban said the WBM work of the road has already been completed, but complications arises when they were taking preparation of the carpeting work.
The work has been left incomplete as the sand filling, WBM and carpeting layers were not followed properly during the road construction work in 2002-2003 fiscal years.
"I have applied to the LGED authorities to increase the rate of the road widening work," he said, adding that he will not be able to complete the road unless the rate variation is approved.
Lalmonirhat LGED Assistant Engineer Shafiul Islam Rifat said it is true that there were some irregularities during the road construction work about two decades ago. Necessary measures will be taken as per instructions of the higher authorities, he said.