Allegations of serious irregularities and corruption have surfaced in the construction of the newly built Narsingdi District Jail, with a contractor accused of withdrawing Tk 15 crore without completing the corresponding work.
Bishwas Trading and Construction was awarded a Tk 67 crore contract for the project and reportedly withdrew around Tk 50 crore in bills. However, an inspection by officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) found that work worth approximately Tk 35 crore had actually been completed. The remaining Tk 15 crore was allegedly withdrawn without the corresponding work, in collusion with the Executive Engineer of the Narsingdi PWD.
The allegations have triggered criticism among concerned citizens, contractors and government officials in Narsingdi.
There are also allegations that PWD Executive Engineer A S M Musa purchased a luxury flat in Dhaka worth around Tk 2 crore with a share of the alleged corruption money received from the contractor.
The allegations came to light after construction work at the jail stopped, concerns grew that the project would not be completed within the scheduled timeframe, and representatives of the contractor could reportedly no longer be found.
Following an investigation, authorities have recommended cancelling the contractor's licence for two years over allegations that the firm withdrew crores of taka through irregularities and subsequently disappeared.
The existing Narsingdi District Jail has a capacity of 300 inmates, but around 1,200 prisoners are currently being held there. The jail premises also reportedly become partially submerged after rainfall, causing hardship for inmates.
When contacted, Executive Engineer A S M Musa denied the allegations, saying, "No such incident has occurred." He said the PWD would take administrative action against the contractor.
Bishwas Trading and Construction began construction of the new jail around three years ago on approximately 20 acres of land in Baraitala area of Shibpur upazila in Narsingdi.
Concerned parties said the alleged irregularities and corruption have delayed the construction of the new jail and could prevent its completion within the scheduled timeframe.
SM/CitizenTimes
