A storm of controversy has erupted in Bogura’s Sariakandi upazila as 27 local contractors submitted a joint written complaint against a Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) employee, accusing him of long-term extortion and unethical practices.
The complaint, filed on Sunday (October 12), was addressed to the Additional Chief Engineer of the LGED's Rajshahi Division. Copies were also sent to the Chief Engineer of LGED, the Deputy Commissioner of Bogura, and the district-level LGED authorities.
The accused, Md. Rezaul Haque, is a work assistant employed on the master roll at the Sariakandi LGED office and has allegedly been stationed there for nearly 15 years. According to the complaint, he routinely demands bribes from contractors during project supervision, often under false pretenses.
“Rezaul is like a toll collector. If you pay him, everything’s fine. If not, he’ll find faults and harass you until you do,” said contractor Lokman Hakim.
Another contractor, Md. Rubel Alam, proprietor of M/S Arefa Enterprise, shared his experience: “Two years ago, while working on a primary school project, Rezaul came to the site, raised false complaints, and even damaged a structural wall by kicking it. He’s nothing short of a money-taking machine.”
Md. Abdus Sabur (Sabuj), owner of Mahdi Construction & Suppliers, added, “His behavior is disgraceful. He doesn't speak respectfully and constantly pressures us. If we don’t pay, he manipulates the engineer’s perception against us.”
A contractor, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the work culture: “He never values contractors. He visits sites, demands money, and even shows up at our offices in the evening expecting more. If refused, he threatens and intimidates us.”
In response to the allegations, Rezaul Haque denied all claims, stating, “When I insist on quality work according to schedule and estimate, some contractors get upset and retaliate with false complaints.”
Sariakandi Upazila LGED Engineer Tuhin Sarkar also dismissed the allegations as baseless. He said, “The complaint stems from a specific incident at an ongoing ICT project site where a contractor attempted to weld rebar instead of proper lapping. When Rezaul intervened to stop substandard work, the contractor became enraged and organized this complaint.”
When asked why 27 contractors filed the complaint jointly, Engineer Tuhin suggested ulterior motives: “They know proper supervision hurts their profits. Instead of addressing concerns at the upazila level, they went directly to the divisional office to put pressure on us.”
As the complaint awaits investigation by higher authorities, tensions between contractors and the LGED office in Sariakandi remain high.
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