OUR CORRESPONDENT, Lalmonirhat

Merely two days after the completion of renovation work on the 1.98-kilometre-long Balapukur-Debirpat road in Lalmonirhat’s Aditmari upazila, the bitumen surface has begun to wear off.

Additionally, a 310-metre protection wall constructed alongside the road as part of the renovation has started to crumble.

Locals staged a protest yesterday, alleging irregularities and the use of low-quality materials in the road renovation, which was conducted under the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).

LGED officials said the Tk 90.12 lakh renovation work was completed on February 27 with contractor Kajal Islam responsible for the project.

According to locals, just two days after the road’s renovation, the bitumen surface has already deteriorated in various places, and some sections of the protection wall have collapsed.

Alam Hossain, a member of Saptibari Union Parishad, alleged the contractor and concerned LGED engineer completed the road work using low-quality materials.

Parvez Rubel, sub-assistant engineer of LGED in Aditmari upazila, stated, “The renovation work has been completed as per schedule. We will investigate why the surfacing is getting damaged. The contractor has not been paid the bill yet. In case of any irregularity, the contractor will redo the roadwork as per agreement.”

Contacted, Kajal Islam said he heard about the matter. “I will visit the site. If the masons have done any irregularities, then renovation work will be done again.”