Fourteen contractors in Kishoreganj have accused a Public Works Department (PWD) executive engineer of awarding 27 contracts to five preferred contractors in a single day and issuing payment cheques the following day, raising allegations of widespread tender irregularities and misappropriation of public funds.
The contractors submitted a written complaint to the PWD chief engineer on 21 September, bringing at least 10 allegations against Kishoreganj Executive Engineer Md Mohiuddin Jahangir, including bribery, favouritism, abuse of authority and embezzlement. A similar complaint was filed with the Kishoreganj deputy commissioner.
The allegations concern Jahangir’s nearly three-year tenure in Kishoreganj, during which the complainants claim he manipulated procurement procedures, favoured selected contractors and misused government resources.
According to the complaint, tenders for 27 projects related to the Kishoreganj Model Mosque were invited under the Open Tendering Method (OTM) on 21 June.
Contracts for all 27 projects were signed the following day, 22 June, and payment cheques were issued on 23 June, the contractors alleged.
They claimed that all the contracts went to just five preferred contractors.
The complainants also alleged that Jahangir awarded at least 35 projects through OTM during the 2026–27 fiscal year despite directives to use the Limited Tendering Method (LTM).
They claimed that around 80 per cent of the work was supposed to be awarded through LTM, but most contracts were instead processed through OTM.
The complaint alleged that tender notices were not published in newspapers and that contracts were distributed among a small group of favoured contractors.
According to the complainants, LTM tenders typically attract 60 to 70 contractors, compared with only five to seven participating in the OTM tenders in question.
They argued that restricting competition in this manner deprived the government of revenue.
Similar irregularities allegedly occurred in the 2025–26 fiscal year, when contracts were awarded through OTM instead of LTM without complying with the Public Procurement Rules (PPR).
The contractors claimed that several projects were awarded to selected firms from Dhaka and Kishoreganj with close ties to the executive engineer.
They further alleged that funds allocated under the Annual Procurement Plan (APP) were withdrawn using fabricated bills and vouchers while payments for actual work remained unsettled.
The complaint also claimed that Jahangir used money obtained through the alleged irregularities to construct two houses in his home district of Natore.
The contractors raised further allegations involving the renovation of government residences in Kishoreganj, claiming that 5 per cent was collected from contractors as security and that substantial funds were misappropriated through the arrangement.
They also alleged that nearly Tk45 lakh was embezzled through nine cheques issued in the name of a contractor known to Jahangir from Dhaka before Eid-ul-Adha this year.
The complaint cited suspected irregularities in awarding contracts for the Model Mosque, Mithamain Shilpakala Academy, Lawyers’ Building and several police station buildings.
It also questioned advance payments and approvals relating to the boundary wall and piling work at Mithamain Shilpakala Academy.
Beyond financial irregularities, the contractors accused Jahangir of frequently remaining absent from his office.
They claimed that he attends office only two or three days a week and that visitors seeking to meet him are often told he is attending meetings in Dhaka.
The complaint further alleged that he regularly uses his official vehicle for personal travel between Kishoreganj, Dhaka and Natore.
According to the contractors, Jahangir remained in Dhaka during the first week of June 2025 despite not receiving approval for overseas leave. They claimed he spent that time supervising construction of his personal 10-storey building in the capital.
The complainants also accused him of failing to maintain government property, citing abandoned PWD residential quarters in Kishoreganj’s Jute Research area.
Six families previously lived in the quarters, but employees were forced to move elsewhere because necessary renovation work was not carried out, according to the complaint.
The contractors warned that the abandoned buildings and surrounding land could become vulnerable to illegal occupation.
They demanded a thorough investigation into the allegations and appropriate legal action.
Executive engineer denies allegations
Contacted about the complaint, Jahangir rejected all allegations, describing them as fabricated and baseless.
He maintained that he had carried out his responsibilities with honesty and dedication.
Jahangir claimed that a small number of contractors had been spreading accusations against him for a long time after failing to secure their personal interests.
He also said the department had previously investigated the allegations and found no evidence to substantiate them.
Those concerned believe an investigation by the relevant authorities would establish whether irregularities occurred in the tender process and whether the contractors’ allegations have merit.
