Engineer Halts Lakshmipur Road Work Over Poor Materials

Following allegations of widespread irregularities, Lakshmipur Municipality’s Executive Engineer, Zulfikar Hossain, has halted a major road renovation project, ordering the contractor to replace construction debris with standard brick chips (khoa).

The Tk 7.34 crore World Bank-funded project, awarded to MS Mustafa & Sons and managed by contractor Firoz Uddin, covers the Maulana Rehan Uddin and Chowdhury Bari connecting roads in Majupur.

Locals alleged the contractor used poor-quality debris and excessive mud for the road's sub-base. Residents also expressed frustration over the lack of drainage on Chowdhury Bari Road, warning it will inevitably cause severe waterlogging. Furthermore, despite a mandate for a 12-foot width, the road has narrowed to 9–10 feet in sections because illegal boundary walls have not been demolished. Locals claim an influential individual tied to the contractor is blocking the road-widening efforts.

Residents criticized the municipality's initial lack of supervision, which they believe emboldened the contractor to cut corners—a pattern reportedly seen in their previous work on DB Road.

Contractor Firoz Uddin denied the allegations, stating he was unaware of the debris ratio and claiming it is not his responsibility to demolish private walls.

However, Executive Engineer Hossain confirmed the irregularities after an on-site inspection on Sunday (July 19). "Despite several verbal warnings, the contractor ignored the rules. We have suspended the work and instructed them to remove all low-quality waste and resume only with standard materials," Hossain stated.