Funds allocated for a site office under a major Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) road project in Kurigram have allegedly been siphoned off, with the contractor drawing bills without constructing the required facilities and officials accused of turning a blind eye.
Project documents reviewed by TIMES of Bangladesh show that although no proper site office exists on the ground, the contractor received payments earmarked for its construction, while LGED officials in Kurigram Sadar are accused of facilitating bill clearance in violation of rules.
The allegations relate to the Kurigram Harikesh Mor RHD to Kathalbari GC via Holokhana UCP road project being implemented under Kurigram Sadar Upazila LGED at a cost of Tk15.46 crore.
The 9.8-kilometre road carries an average cost of about Tk1.57 crore per kilometre, with work starting on 1 January 2024 and scheduled for completion by 30 June 2025, but the project remains unfinished beyond the deadline.
The contractor, RABRCBC HT JV, is facing multiple allegations of irregularities, including failure to construct a mandatory site office despite withdrawing the allocated funds.
According to project specifications, the contractor was required to build a fully equipped site office not only for its own use but also for the engineer-in-charge and staff, with permanent features such as a strong foundation, brick walls, tiled floors, gypsum board false ceiling, glass windows with steel grills and quality paint.
The office was also supposed to have electricity, water supply, washrooms, sewerage, approved locks, blinds, round-the-clock security guards and attendants, along with a separate access road, hard standing, utility layouts and a covered structure, all subject to prior approval by the engineer-in-charge.
The documents further list furniture, air coolers, water purifiers, crockery, computers, monitors, UPS, laser printers, LED flood lights and halogen security lights as mandatory equipment for the so-called temporary office.
The contractor was required to make the office fully operational within 28 days, with a clear provision that no interim bill would be released if the office was not found acceptable.
On the ground, however, only a tin-shed structure was found, while most work continues in open areas without any proper site facilities, despite Tk4.87 lakh being allocated for the site office.
The project has also drawn scrutiny over the removal of telephone and electric poles, a routine activity that appears to have been used to inflate costs.
Project documents show Tk6.40 lakh allocated for pole removal, including excavation, breaking concrete foundations, disconnecting lines and supervision, even though the poles largely remain within the road alignment and contractors allegedly secure large bills by paying commissions.
Attempts to contact the owners of RABRCBC HT JV were unsuccessful, with several refusing to comment and others allegedly offering inducements to stop publication, while one contractor, Belal Hossain, said he was not overseeing the project.
Kurigram Sadar LGED engineer Md Firozur Rahman admitted that the contractor failed to construct the site office as per guidelines and said instructions had been given not to pay the site office bill.
Kurigram LGED Executive Engineer Mohammad Yunus Hossain Biswas said there was no scope to clear bills without completing the work and claimed deductions could still be made at the final stage.
He added that other components, including grass plantation included in the budget, would also have to be completed in full before any final payments were released.
