The construction work of a five-storey degree college of Sirajdikhan upazila in Munshiganj has not been completed yet. But the door of the building is already broken and the roof is leaking before the building could even be inaugurated.
In the same district, low quality bricks are being used in the construction of a fire station building.
The X-ray machine in a health complex of Lakhai upazila of Sunamganj doesn’t work. The construction of a college at Dighinala in Khagrachhari is far from satisfactory.
The secretary of the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning, Pradip Ranjan Chakraborty, found such irregularities and discrepancies while inspecting development projects in eight districts in the country over the last two months.
IMED has sent a letter to those concerned to take action against the personnel involved in the irregularities.
Pradip Ranjan told Prothom Alo that after inspecting work on these projects, it was clear that development work was proceeding at a snail’s pace. No project was being completed within the stipulated time. Substandard materials were being used in development projects.
He said projects were being taken up where it was not necessary. However, some good work had been noticed during the inspection. The concerned authorities have been informed about the errors detected in the projects.
As per the report of IMED, construction of the Malkhanagar Degree College in Sirajdikhan upazila of Munshiganj started eight years ago in 2012. But the construction of the five-storey building has not been completed yet.
During a field inspection, the IMED secretary found that the sliding door of a room on the fourth floor of the building could not be opened or closed properly. A portion of the ceiling began to crumble while trying to open the door.
Due to absence of RCC (reinforced cement concrete) construction, the roof of the fourth floor was leaking, brining water into the room. The pillars of the building were also slightly crooked.
Low grade bricks used in fire station buildings
The IMED secretary Pradip Chakraborty, inspecting the Tongibari fire station building in Tongibari upazila of Munshiganj district on 13 November, found low grade bricks were being used in its construction.
The construction of the building began eight years ago. The contract stipulated that the construction work would be finished by August 2020, but the work has not completed in time. A similar scenario was noticed in the construction work of the Sirajdikhan fire station in Mymensingh. The construction here also has not completed in time.
Health complex in dilapidated condition
On 24 December, the IMED secretary visited the Lakhai upazila health complex in Habiganj. The project was taken up to upgrade the upazila health complex from the existing 31 beds to 50 beds. During the inspection, the power lines were found hanging haphazardly.
While the work of fourth floor was going on, water was leaking from one side of the storeroom’s roof. The door was broken but painted over.
According to the IMED, dirty clothes have been kept in a room of the second floor of the health complex where surgical instruments are kept. The water leaks out from the both men and women’s washrooms. The X-ray machine was out of order.
The windowpanes of the washrooms have not been fitted and painting work is yet to be done. The work of the operation room has not started yet and the window panes for both male and female wards have still not been fitted. The drain pipe is broken and so are the collapsible gates and boundary wall.
This report appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by NH Sajjad
