Md. Abusaleh Shojib, Mirzapur (Tangail)

Mirzapur Upazila Engineer Monirul Saj Rizon has blocked the clearance of a financial bill following allegations of gross irregularities and low-quality carpeting in a recently reconstructed road project.

The upazila engineer issued a written order halting the payment to the contractor on Sunday (July 5) and subsequently served show-cause notices to the deputy assistant engineer and field assistant tasked with supervising the project.

The 460-meter road rehabilitation project, stretching from Gorai to Rak Teki under the Gorai union, was implemented by a contracting firm named Bismillah Enterprise at an estimated cost of 15 lakh taka. However, just seven days after completion, the newly laid bitumen carpeting began peeling off rapidly under regular rainfall.

A spot visit revealed a highly dilapidated state of the newly constructed road. Rainwater runoff from the adjacent Dhaka-Tangail highway overwhelmed an old roadside drain, causing severe waterlogging that washed away the loose asphalt layer. Local residents complained that the pitch was so fragile that it could be easily peeled off by hand, and moving vehicles were continuously lifting up the stones and bitumen with their tires. The community accused the contractor of rushing the carpeting process by spreading a substandard mixture of sand and gravel directly over mud, leading to immediate structural failure and wasting public funds.

Following the public outcry, Upazila Engineer Monirul Saj Rizon conducted an emergency inspection of the site to assess the damage. Upon finding clear evidence of negligence, he suspended all financial clearances for Bismillah Enterprise and reprimanded his subordinate supervisory staff for failing to maintain standard construction protocols.

"No bills will be paid for this project until the entire road is completely re-carpeted at the contractor's own expense," the Upazila Engineer stated.

He warned that if the firm fails to reconstruct the road according to the official specifications, they will face heavy financial penalties and be permanently blacklisted from future government tenders. He reiterated that the department maintains a zero-tolerance policy against any institutional corruption or structural irregularities in public infrastructure development.