Irregularities in repair of Satkhira embankments

A local Union Parishad chairman said he submitted a written complaint to the Prime Minister's office for action in this regard. He is now being threatened allegedly by WDB contractors.

Gabura, a union in Shyamnagar near the Sundarbans covering 41.32 square kilometres is surrounded by several rivers including the Kobadak.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Every year, crores of taka are spent to renovate embankments of the rivers and placing concrete blocks to stop erosion, but to no effect, allegedly because of irregularities in the work and use of substandard materials in making concrete blocks.

According to sources in Satkhira WDB, a Tk 1.5 crore project was undertaken to place concrete blocks in polder no 15 in Gabura union to check the erosion by the Kabodak.

The renovation work was started in December 2002 and was scheduled to be completed in April 2003. But it is yet to be completed.

This correspondent during visit on Friday saw that concrete blocks are not being placed on the riverbank as per design to check erosion.

Gabura UP member Abdus Sattar and some workers engaged in making concrete blocks at Jelekhali said concrete blocks are not made as per specification. Those should be made by using a bag of cement with 3 cft sand and 6 cft stone but it is not being followed.

The two farms engaged in the work there were using one bag of cement with 5 cft sand and 7 cft stones. The contractor entrusted with the job could not be contacted over cell phone despite repeated attempts.

The same thing was also seen at Napitkhali where another contractor was making concrete blocks.

On the same day, this corespondent also visited Chakbara sluice gate area and found concrete blocks placed on the bank collapsing into the river as the bank was not properly renovated.

Some workers there said they are making blocks by mixing a bag of cement with 4 cft sand and 7 cft stones as per directive io the contractor.

Villagers Babar Ali, Rafiqul Islam, Adel Gazi and some others who gathered there seeing this correspondent said they had stopped the work protesting the irregularities.

On information, WDB Section Office (SO) Zahed Ali came and ordered resumption of work, assuring them that there would not be any more irregularity, they said.

More interesting things were found on investigation. Embankment renovation work involving Tk 10,78,050 was going on in Kholshebunia, Lebubunia, Sora and Kalibari villages in the union in four groups.

It was gathered that contractor Abdul Gafoor, who was given the work in Kholshebunia, gave the work to one Sohrab Hossain on subcontract at a cost of Tk 1,48157; contractor Tuhin in Sora appointed one Wahiduzzaman as sub-contractor to finish the work with Tk 349266 while contractor Bazlur Rahman in Kalibari appointed one Abdul Hamid as sub- contractor to complete his work at a cost of Tk 1, 30,000.

On contact, Sohrab, Wahiduzzaman and Abdul Hamid acknowledged doing the works on sub-contract.

Gabura UP Chairman Shafiul Azam Lenin said WDB spends lakhs of taka every year for renovating the embankments, but those collapse after the so-called renovation.

He blamed WDB officials for this. He said he submitted several written complaints to WDB officials. Seeing no result, he has sent a written complaint to the Prime Minister. This angered the contractors, who threatened him.

He filed a general diary with Shyamnagar thana on Thursday.

When contacted, WDB Executive Engineer Ismail Hossain refuted the allegations of irregularities.