Bogura road project worth nearly Tk 1 crore unfinished after two years, 12 truckloads of bricks missing

A rural road paving project in Kahalu upazila of Bogura, launched at a cost of nearly Tk 1 crore, remains unfinished after two years. The first contractor disappeared within a few months of starting work, and the job has since changed hands several times without being completed. Meanwhile, 10 to 12 truckloads of bricks have vanished from the road. Residents of eight villages and students who use the road every day are suffering badly.

According to local sources, the roughly one-kilometre road from Kallyapara village to Kallyapara Anwarul Ulum Fazil Madrasa in Malancha union was previously surfaced with brick soling. Paving work on the 900-metre road began at the end of December 2024 with LGED funding of Tk 95.81 lakh.

In the first phase, the contractor lifted all the soling bricks from the road. But within a short time he stopped work and disappeared. The bricks stacked beside the road were later removed as well. Several other contractors subsequently took up the job one after another, yet the construction was never finished.

During the rainy season the road was completely unusable because of mud. Even now, in the dry season, the uneven surface means the suffering of ordinary people has not eased. Locals allege that the department concerned has taken no effective step either against the contractor or to complete the unfinished work.

Local resident Rabiul Islam said people from about eight villages use this road, and students of Kallyapara madrasa and the primary school also travel along it. The contractor vanished a few months after starting, without finishing the work. In the rainy season the road could not be used at all, and now its uneven surface makes even vehicle movement difficult except on foot. He demanded that the construction be completed quickly to end their suffering.

Malancha Union Parishad chairman Nesar Uddin said the contractor is a chairman of another union, and when told about the matter he assures that he will do the work. The chairman said he has spoken to the upazila engineer and raised the issue in the monthly meeting; the engineer said work would be done once the rains ended. But he noted that the allocation for the road is not in his hands and the work is being carried out through the contracting firm concerned.

Rajijul Islam Khan, chairman of Rajapur Union Parishad in Bogura Sadar and the contractor currently responsible, said he is not the original contractor. The first contractor was from Joypurhat, then a man named Dulu from Bogura took the job; after changing hands several times, he took responsibility for finishing it. He started work after the last national election and has completed up to the sub-base; the WBM and carpeting work remains.

Explaining the delay, he cited a shortage of stone chips and the rising price of bitumen. He said they want to do the WBM and carpeting together, because if the road is left after WBM the bed would have to be repaired again, adding extra cost.

On the missing bricks, Rajibul Islam Khan said that before taking charge he inspected the road and found bricks had been taken away; locals told him some 10 to 12 truckloads were removed. The matter was later settled at a meeting at upazila level, with a decision to pay Tk 1 lakh in place of the removed bricks. But he claimed the bricks were worth about Tk 3 lakh, adding that no contractor would work at a loss.

Kahalu upazila engineer Muktar Hossain Khan said the work began before he joined this upazila, when Mokhlesur Rahman was the upazila engineer. Many road projects were already pending from before he arrived. Carpeting could not be done for so long because of rain, and in some cases contractors are delaying on the pretext of low work rates.

The upazila engineer added that despite repeated reminders the contractors are not starting work, and he has informed the higher authorities. Contractors will be called in very soon and told to start; those who still do not start will face steps to cancel their contracts.

Local people hope that this time the work will genuinely begin and the paving, stalled for two years, will finally be completed. But villagers enduring the hardship are waiting to see how effective the summons to contractors and the warning of contract cancellation prove in practice.