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LGED’s dodgy $5.4 Million tender cancelled in Barguna; probe begins
Using this bamboo bridge, a man crosses a canal in front of Dakkhin Takta Bunia High School in Barguna’s Amtali on Friday. Tenders had been invited for repairing 33 “iron bridges”, including this one, that apparently exist only on paper in Barguna’s Amtali and Taltoli upazilas. Of the bridges, 13 are actually bamboo-made footbridges. The tenders were cancelled following graft allegation.
At places, there are no canals where they were said to exist. In other places, iron bridges that were supposed to be there are missing, with bamboo bridges taking their place at some sites.
Tenders have been invited for repair of iron bridges that apparently exist only on papers in Barguna's Amtali and Taltoli upazilas.
The irregularities cropped up when, on July 28, Forkan Ahmed Khan, executive engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Barguna, invited tenders for repair of 33 iron bridges in eight packages at a cost of about Tk 46 crore.
A three-member probe committee has been formed to look into the matter, Forkan said. The committee started investigating and the report will be submitted soon, said its chief.
The LGED invited tenders under the Iron Bridge Reconstruction Project (IBRP) for the 2020-21 financial year. Among the bridges, 25 are in Amtali and eight in Taltoli upazilas. The deadline for participation in the tender was fixed on September 14.
Contractors of Barguna and Amtali held a press conference and arranged a human chain demanding cancellation of the tenders.
The LGED executive engineer of Barguna wrote a letter to the chief engineer of LGED on August 28 asking for cancellation of the tender. The tender was cancelled on September 1.
Amtali Upazila Engineer Abdullah Al Mamun said the project director has prepared the project with the approval of the chief engineer and that he was implementing the instructions. The estimate does not have his signature, the engineer added.
Forkan Ahmed Khan, executive engineer of the Barguna LGED said no district-level employee was involved in making estimates, starting with the project's estimate. Everything is determined by the project director with the approval of the chief engineer of LGED. In terms of implementation, they only follow the instructions.
IBRP project director Abdul Hai said he does not know about the irregularities. Estimates have been sent from Barguna and have been approved, he said, adding that he did not think there would be such a big mistake.
The tender notice included the repair of an iron bridge in front of Dakshin Taktabunia Secondary School on Banshbunia canal in Amtali's Haldia union. However, the same bridge is shown in the tender on Nashbunia canal.
Selim Khan of Dakshin Taktabunia village said there is no canal in Haldia union named Nashbunia.
The tender notice also mentions repair of two bridges at Tujir Bazar and Ramjir Bazar of the same union but there are no bridges there on Haldia canal.
Instead, there are bamboo bridges in the canals of those two markets.
GM Osmani Hasan, president of Amtali Contractors Association, said bridges have been shown repaired in front of Elahiya Dakhil Madrasa and in front of South Rawagha Keratul Quran Madrasa but there is no bridge in the canal in front of those two madrasas. There is a bamboo bridge over which people are currently crossing.
The 85-metre-long bridge adjacent to Tujir Bazar in Haldia Union, for which a tender has been called for renovation, is in fact 60 metres. Even though there is no bridge, more than 25 metres length is shown here, he added.
Besides, the cost of earth work here has been estimated at around Tk 9 lakh. There is no bridge on the canal adjacent to Ramji Bazar of the same union. There is a bamboo bridge of 51 metres. But here too, the length is shown as 70 metres.
Harun Mollah, a resident of Dalachara area of Gulishakhali union of the upazila, said four bridges of just one-and-a-half kilometers have been shown for repair. Two of them are fit for use, the other two are bamboo bridges.
Sultan Ghazi, 63, a resident of the area adjacent to South Raoga Keratul Quran Madrasa in Haldia Union, said the madrasa has no bridge here. There is a bamboo bridge here and although a woman died a few months ago after falling into a canal from this bridge, no iron bridge has been built here.
LGED contractor Bashir Uddin said, "I have visited at least 25 bridge areas of Amtali upazila mentioned in the tender.
"We have found bamboo bridges in place of 13 bridges. And I have seen that there is no need to repair a few such bridges at a huge cost."
He also complained that the length of each bridge was exaggerated.
GM Osmani Hasan alleged that Executive Engineer Forkan Ahmed Khan has invited tenders for the construction of 33 bridges in connivance with influential contractors in exchange for large sums of money.
As per the rules, the surveyor of the concerned Upazila Engineer's Office of LGED will measure the bridges when it comes to making estimates. The sub-assistant engineer also has to make an estimate after the on-the-spot visit.
Abdul Quddus, a surveyor at the Amtali Upazila Engineer's Office, said, "I did not measure the length of the bridge and the soil, but I was asked to sign the estimate.I said I would not sign without an on-the-spot visit. I do not know how the estimate was later approved."
The same statement was made by Deputy Assistant Engineer Nizam Uddin. He said, "After the on-the-spot inspection and reporting, there was a rule to make an estimate, but I did not do any of this. Estimates have been prepared and approved from Dhaka. I know nothing else."
Source
Using this bamboo bridge, a man crosses a canal in front of Dakkhin Takta Bunia High School in Barguna’s Amtali on Friday. Tenders had been invited for repairing 33 “iron bridges”, including this one, that apparently exist only on paper in Barguna’s Amtali and Taltoli upazilas. Of the bridges, 13 are actually bamboo-made footbridges. The tenders were cancelled following graft allegation.
At places, there are no canals where they were said to exist. In other places, iron bridges that were supposed to be there are missing, with bamboo bridges taking their place at some sites.
Tenders have been invited for repair of iron bridges that apparently exist only on papers in Barguna's Amtali and Taltoli upazilas.
The irregularities cropped up when, on July 28, Forkan Ahmed Khan, executive engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Barguna, invited tenders for repair of 33 iron bridges in eight packages at a cost of about Tk 46 crore.
A three-member probe committee has been formed to look into the matter, Forkan said. The committee started investigating and the report will be submitted soon, said its chief.
The LGED invited tenders under the Iron Bridge Reconstruction Project (IBRP) for the 2020-21 financial year. Among the bridges, 25 are in Amtali and eight in Taltoli upazilas. The deadline for participation in the tender was fixed on September 14.
Contractors of Barguna and Amtali held a press conference and arranged a human chain demanding cancellation of the tenders.
The LGED executive engineer of Barguna wrote a letter to the chief engineer of LGED on August 28 asking for cancellation of the tender. The tender was cancelled on September 1.
Amtali Upazila Engineer Abdullah Al Mamun said the project director has prepared the project with the approval of the chief engineer and that he was implementing the instructions. The estimate does not have his signature, the engineer added.
Forkan Ahmed Khan, executive engineer of the Barguna LGED said no district-level employee was involved in making estimates, starting with the project's estimate. Everything is determined by the project director with the approval of the chief engineer of LGED. In terms of implementation, they only follow the instructions.
IBRP project director Abdul Hai said he does not know about the irregularities. Estimates have been sent from Barguna and have been approved, he said, adding that he did not think there would be such a big mistake.
The tender notice included the repair of an iron bridge in front of Dakshin Taktabunia Secondary School on Banshbunia canal in Amtali's Haldia union. However, the same bridge is shown in the tender on Nashbunia canal.
Selim Khan of Dakshin Taktabunia village said there is no canal in Haldia union named Nashbunia.
The tender notice also mentions repair of two bridges at Tujir Bazar and Ramjir Bazar of the same union but there are no bridges there on Haldia canal.
Instead, there are bamboo bridges in the canals of those two markets.
GM Osmani Hasan, president of Amtali Contractors Association, said bridges have been shown repaired in front of Elahiya Dakhil Madrasa and in front of South Rawagha Keratul Quran Madrasa but there is no bridge in the canal in front of those two madrasas. There is a bamboo bridge over which people are currently crossing.
The 85-metre-long bridge adjacent to Tujir Bazar in Haldia Union, for which a tender has been called for renovation, is in fact 60 metres. Even though there is no bridge, more than 25 metres length is shown here, he added.
Besides, the cost of earth work here has been estimated at around Tk 9 lakh. There is no bridge on the canal adjacent to Ramji Bazar of the same union. There is a bamboo bridge of 51 metres. But here too, the length is shown as 70 metres.
Harun Mollah, a resident of Dalachara area of Gulishakhali union of the upazila, said four bridges of just one-and-a-half kilometers have been shown for repair. Two of them are fit for use, the other two are bamboo bridges.
Sultan Ghazi, 63, a resident of the area adjacent to South Raoga Keratul Quran Madrasa in Haldia Union, said the madrasa has no bridge here. There is a bamboo bridge here and although a woman died a few months ago after falling into a canal from this bridge, no iron bridge has been built here.
LGED contractor Bashir Uddin said, "I have visited at least 25 bridge areas of Amtali upazila mentioned in the tender.
"We have found bamboo bridges in place of 13 bridges. And I have seen that there is no need to repair a few such bridges at a huge cost."
He also complained that the length of each bridge was exaggerated.
GM Osmani Hasan alleged that Executive Engineer Forkan Ahmed Khan has invited tenders for the construction of 33 bridges in connivance with influential contractors in exchange for large sums of money.
As per the rules, the surveyor of the concerned Upazila Engineer's Office of LGED will measure the bridges when it comes to making estimates. The sub-assistant engineer also has to make an estimate after the on-the-spot visit.
Abdul Quddus, a surveyor at the Amtali Upazila Engineer's Office, said, "I did not measure the length of the bridge and the soil, but I was asked to sign the estimate.I said I would not sign without an on-the-spot visit. I do not know how the estimate was later approved."
The same statement was made by Deputy Assistant Engineer Nizam Uddin. He said, "After the on-the-spot inspection and reporting, there was a rule to make an estimate, but I did not do any of this. Estimates have been prepared and approved from Dhaka. I know nothing else."
Source
