Sachchida Nanda Dey Saday,  Ashashuni (Satkhira) 

Fresh allegations of irregularities have surfaced once again regarding the construction work of the Mohishkur Ashrayan Project in Shreeula Union under Ashashuni Upazila of Satkhira district.

 This time, the allegations revolve around the use of substandard bricks, poor quality concrete casting, and lack of oversight by the concerned officials.

Under a government initiative to provide free housing and land to the landless and homeless, 18 houses were scheduled to be constructed. For this purpose, 55 decimals of khas land were acquired on February 1, 2024, and construction began in early 2025 under the supervision of the Upazila Administration and the Upazila Project Implementation Office (PIO). However, from the very beginning, local residents have expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the construction.

Locals claim that after initial complaints, better-quality bricks were used briefly, but later, the construction resumed using inferior materials. On-site visits confirmed that low-quality bricks from “Akhi Bricks” in Kullar were being used for wall masonry. Beam casting work was also underway without any engineer or official from the administration being present. Laborers were unable to specify whether the correct proportions of materials were being used.

Some workers said they were working according to the instructions given by the office and had no control over the quality of the bricks. A local resident, unwilling to be named, remarked, “Even though the government has changed, the quality of work hasn’t improved. Without proper monitoring, the work remains substandard.”

Repeated attempts to contact Aziz Hossain, the proprietor of Akhi Bricks, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls.

When asked about the matter, Upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) Amirul Islam responded, “Do you even know what first-grade bricks look like? You’re just causing unnecessary hassle. A report has already been published, whether you report once or twice, it won’t make a difference. The investigation has already been conducted and won’t happen again.”

UNO  Krishna Roy said, ADC (Avenue)  and I visited the site. The bricks seemed fine at that time. Please send photos and videos; I will look into the matter.

Multiple calls were made to Deputy Commissioner Mostak Ahmed, but he did not receive them, and his statement could not be taken.