Contractor Never Started Work, Contract Cancelled; 20 Villages Suffer on Hamidur Rahman's Village Road

A contractor who won the work to renovate a road in the village of Bir Shreshtha Hamidur Rahman never started the job at all. As he failed to begin even after the deadline set in the tender and work order expired, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has finally cancelled its contract with the contractor. A fresh tender process is now under way, leaving uncertainty over when the road's renovation will actually begin.

Meanwhile, for more than four years, several hundred thousand people from at least 20 villages have been travelling every day at risk on the road, which lies in a dilapidated state. Local people have demanded quick renovation of this important road used by residents of the SBK and Sabdalpur unions of Maheshpur upazila in Jhenaidah and the Andulbaria and Raipur unions of Chuadanga.

A recent spot visit found that Bir Shreshtha Hamidur Rahman's home is in Khord Khalishpur village of Maheshpur upazila. Along the village's roughly four-kilometre road, the pitch has worn away in many places, creating countless small and large potholes. Even a little rain fills the holes with water and makes the road unfit for travel. Vans, easy bikes, motorbikes and other vehicles use the road at risk.

In this state of the road, students, traders, patients and ordinary passengers suffer every day. Taking patients to hospital in an emergency becomes especially difficult. Local residents have long been demanding the road's renovation.

According to LGED sources, a tender was called on 24 September last year to renovate the road and reduce public suffering. Contractor Rafiqul Islam won the work. But after receiving the work order, he kept delaying on various excuses. The deadline ended on 13 April, yet he never started the renovation at all.

Mostafizur Rahman, nephew of Bir Shreshtha Hamidur Rahman, said the road has been in very bad condition for four to five years. He had heard a tender was held and a contractor got the work. But even after all this time, the work has not begun.

Local college teacher Shamim Hossain said thousands of people travel on this road every day. Because of the potholes, vehicles often overturn and accidents happen. Taking patients to hospital is also a problem.

Local resident Ziaur Rahman said students and ordinary people are suffering the most because of the road's condition. Unless the renovation starts quickly, this suffering will not end.

Calls were made several times to contractor Rafiqul Islam's mobile phone for comment, but it was found switched off.

Maheshpur upazila LGED engineer Md Azizul Haque said the contract with the contractor concerned has been cancelled for not starting the work. Legal action has also been taken against the contractor.

He added that a fresh tender process for renovating the road is under way. Once the process is completed, the work can begin. The cost of renovating the four-kilometre road has been estimated at 76 lakh taka.