Public outcry over poor building: Bridge felled in Pirojpur

Bridge being demolished in Pirojpur over public outcry about poor construction. UNB

Pirojpur, July 25 - A bridge under construction in Nesarabad, Pirojpur, had to be demolished before its completion due to substandard materials and failure to follow the approved construction schedule, raising serious concerns about oversight and accountability in government construction projects, especially in rural areas.

The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) was forced to tear down the structure located on the Madra Bazar road in the Jalabari Union after major flaws were discovered.

The project, which included the construction of two girder bridges measuring 22 and 15 meters in length, was awarded on December 29, 2021, to a contracting firm by Pirojpur LGED, with a contract value of Tk 5.73 crore.

According to the contract, the construction was scheduled to be completed by December 28, 2022.

However, the main contractor outsourced the work to a subcontractor, who failed to maintain construction standards and violated the project timeline.

This prompted local residents to protest and halt the work.

Later, another subcontractor proceeded to pour concrete for the bridge deck without installing the necessary girders.

Soon after, visible defects began to emerge in the concrete structure.

In response to growing concerns from the local people, LGED launched an investigation and decided to demolish the flawed portion of the bridge.

When asked about the cracks in the bridge, subcontractor Khokon Mia of Pirojpur claimed that the damage occurred after someone removed the centering (support framework) without authorisation following the concrete work.

Upazila Engineer Md. Raysul Islam stated, "The entire slab needs to be demolished and reconstructed from scratch."

He further added that the absence of the main contractor has made it difficult to carry the project forward. -UNB