Sunamganj District BNP has alleged widespread irregularities, corruption, and looting in an ongoing Tk87 crore road and bridge rehabilitation project in Bishwambharpur upazila.
The party also strongly protested against “false, fabricated, and motive-driven” allegations made by sub-contractor Shafiqul Islam against Advocate Nurul Islam Nurul, Member of Parliament for the Sunamganj-4 constituency.
The allegations were detailed in a written statement presented at a press conference organised by Sunamganj District BNP on Monday.
The statement was signed by District BNP Convener Kalim Uddin Ahmad Milan and member Advocate Md Abdul Huq.
According to the statement, the ongoing work involves repairing and constructing guard walls for Sections 1 and 2 of the Lalpur–Salampur Bridge and approximately five kilometres of road on the Sunamganj–Kachirgati–Bishwambharpur route.
Allocated a budget of Tk86.60 crore, the project was initiated under an emergency rehabilitation programme for infrastructure damaged in the 2022 floods.
The BNP leaders stated that the original contract was awarded to Md Badrul Islam, a Dhaka-based contractor backed by the Awami League, operating under Firm Islam Traders.
Following the political shift on 5 August 2024, Badrul fled the country.
Subsequently, Azad Hossain, a member of Sunamganj District Awami League, was appointed as the first sub-contractor.
Following disputes between them, another Awami League leader, Shafiqul Islam—who faces multiple cases under anti-terrorism and fraud laws—was appointed as the second sub-contractor.
The statement noted that on 27 October 2026, MP Advocate Nurul Islam Nurul visited the site following public demand while returning from an event at Rotargaon High School in Bishwambharpur.
Locals complained of severe irregularities in construction.
During his inspection, the MP observed newly constructed guard walls leaning to one side, low-quality materials used in concrete blocks, placement of inferior blocks on geo-textile without soil compaction for protection, and the use of agricultural topsoil instead of filling sand.
The MP requested the contractor’s presence and advised his representative to inspect the site the following day alongside the Executive Engineer and officials from the Roads and Highways Department.
Citing information from the first sub-contractor, BNP leaders claimed the project cost was artificially over-estimated at Tk87 crore for work actually valued at Tk40 crore.
Earthwork allocations were reportedly inflated to 56 lakh cubic feet from the required 7 lakh cubic feet.
The party accused sub-contractors and department officials of colluding to divide drawn funds, noting that nearly Tk38 crore has already been withdrawn and looted without displaying any mandatory project cost signboards.
The District BNP presented a five-point set of demands, including bringing all corrupt individuals to justice, re-evaluating project costs and recovering overvalued funds, and cancelling substandard work before rebuilding it according to design standards.
It also called for departmental action against negligent engineers and investigations into all ongoing projects undertaken by the firm.
BNP leaders urged a neutral inquiry and called on journalists to expose the facts.
