People suffer as busy road at Bogra not built in three years

Accumulated mud on the under construction Kabi Nazul Islam Sarak hinders smooth plying of vehicles and movement of passers-by in Bogra. The road construction has been stalled due to alleged negligence of contractors and fund constraint. PHOTO: STAR

The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) started construction of the road under a special project at a cost of Tk 128 crore in February 2003.

The work was scheduled to be completed by 2005, but it was stalled after completion of a portion of the road due to alleged negligence of contractors, departmental sources said.

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However, the contractors said the work was not completed due to fund constraint.

Meanwhile, the RHD officials said the proposed fund was Tk 128 crore but the authorities reduced it to Tk 78 crore 14 lakh 29 thousand. Most of the fund was spent for giving compensation to the house owners and land owners who were affected due to the project. An amount of Tk 30 crore was spent as compensation, said an official of the department.

At present, transport vehicles can not ply and passers-by can not move due to accumulation of mud and rubbish on the busy road.

Meanwhile, construction of a nine-kilometre road from Banani to Matidaly and a three-kilometre road from Satmataha to Tinmatha started in February 2003. Only four per cent work of the road stretching from Satmatha to Tinmatha was completed in last three years, departmental sources said.