BARISHAL — A contractor has left a key road in Barishal’s Gournadi municipality dug open for months, leaving residents to navigate a broken stretch where minor and major accidents occur almost daily, officials and residents said.
With construction halted, local anger has mounted. The municipality has issued three notices to the contractor to finish the work quickly, but the drain and road have not been completed, officials said. It is unclear when work will resume or be finished.
According to municipal sources, the municipality issued a tender in mid-2025 for construction of 12 roads and six drains at a cost of 10 crore 66 lakh 52 thousand taka (about $850,000). The lowest bidder, a joint venture of Messrs. M.D. Delwar Hossain and Messrs. Shahid Brothers, won the contract at 7 crore 95 lakh taka (about $640,000), 25.45 percent below the tender estimate.
The municipality issued a work order to the joint venture. The work, however, is being carried out by another contractor, Shamim Hossain, under a mandate from the firm. Construction began on Aug. 13 last year and is scheduled to be completed by Feb. 12, 2027, officials said.
Sources said one road was started in February of this year and recently completed. Work on another road and drain was started but abandoned, leaving residents in distress, they said. The municipal administrator has issued notices to the contractor to finish the drain and road quickly and to begin other work, considering the public hardship.
Several residents said excavation began in February of this year for a drain along the road from Thana intersection to the Gournadi Circle Additional Superintendent of Police office. Only 100 to 150 feet of drain has been built since then, and the rest has been abandoned, leaving the key road closed for a long time, they said.
Rainwater pooling on the road has increased mosquito breeding, and the stench of household waste water has caused severe distress to residents, they said.
Contractor Shamim Hossain said there had been some trouble because of a labor shortage. “Work will resume within a day or two and be completed within the scheduled time,” he said.
Municipal Executive Engineer Abdus Salek said the contractor has been instructed to do the work within the scheduled time according to the schedule. Action will be taken against the contractor if there is any negligence, he said.
Municipal Administrator and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Ibrahim said three notices have been issued to the contractor over the failure to carry out the important construction work. If the work is not completed within the scheduled time, action will be taken under the law, he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report