CHOUGACHA, Jashore — Construction of a model mosque in Chougacha upazila has yet to begin eight months after the foundation stone was laid, with locals blaming a dispute over evicting shops at the site.
Nasimul Ghani, then home secretary in the interim government and currently cabinet secretary, laid the foundation stone on July 11 last year.
According to officials, the Public Works Department invited tenders to build the model mosque in Chougacha town on Aug. 31, 2023. The project’s DPP value was set at 14 crore taka 99 lakh 69 thousand. SI AKJ PC, a contractor based in Jashore’s upashahar area, signed a contract on Jan. 14, 2024, to complete the work for 13 crore taka 97 lakh 53 thousand. Under the contract, the company is to finish construction by June 30, 2026.
The Chougacha upazila administration and the Islamic Foundation have so far failed to hand over the site to the contractor, however.
Local sources said the upazila administration ran into difficulties from the start in selecting a site. After residents pressed for a central location, an area of 28,685 square feet was set aside on land belonging to the government Shahadat Pilot Secondary School in the heart of Chougacha town, near the southwestern corner of what is now the kitchen market.
The site was chosen at a meeting attended by upazila BNP President M.A. Salam, General Secretary Masudul Hasan, upazila Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Maulana Golam Morshed, Secretary Professor Nuruzzaman, Assistant Secretary Master Kamal Ahmed, upazila officials and other prominent residents.
Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani laid the foundation stone in a ceremonial event. But eight months later, construction has not started for what locals call unexplained reasons.
The design leaves 10 feet of open space along the roads to the south and west of the site to allow for future road widening and to prevent traffic jams during prayer times, given the large unused area surrounding the school.
Building the mosque on the designated site requires the eviction of several shops along the road leading to the school. A decision was made to rehabilitate the affected businesses. The upazila administration planned to clear shops along the Mahespur Road and the school’s access road, and the foundation stone was laid accordingly.
Several teachers at the school said there is no shortage of space on the school’s land. Influential people in the area have leased large portions of the grounds at nominal rates and are using the property, they said. They said it would be best if the mosque were built 10 feet back from the southwestern road, which would create no problem for the school. Widening the school’s access road is critical, they said, because traffic jams form there during examinations and a wider road would let students move freely.
Some influential traders are refusing to vacate the occupied land and stalling construction with various excuses, they said. Many local residents say a political leader is encouraging the traders to stay put.
Abu Jafar, president of the Chougacha Press Club, and several others said leaving shops in place along the road would be wrong. It would be much better to clear the shops and leave some open space along the road before starting construction, they said.
It is alleged that the activities of a local political party leader are currently holding up the eviction of the shops. The leader is being accused of pushing for construction to begin without removing the shops in exchange for substantial sums of money.
Local residents say starting construction without removing the shops would mar both the appearance and the planning of the mosque. They have demanded that work begin along the southern and western roads as the original design specifies.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Farjana Islam said efforts were under way to start construction quickly.
Residents have called on authorities to swiftly resolve all complications and begin construction as soon as possible.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report