Contractor Excavates Road at Faturkhara Bridge Without RHD’s Knowledge
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has recently completed the construction of the Faturkhara Bridge on the Sylhet-Sultanpur road for BDT 16 crore. However, allegations have surfaced against a representative of a joint venture contracting firm, ‘John JV,’ for illegally excavating soil from the road adjacent to the old steel bridge next to the newly built structure. Locals have expressed grave concern, fearing that using excavators to remove soil near the new bridge and its connecting road poses a serious risk to the structural integrity of the Tk 16-crore project and surrounding infrastructure. The Sylhet RHD was reportedly unaware of the matter.
It is learned that after completing the Faturkhara Bridge, the contracting firm initiated preliminary work on the Borobhanga Bridge. Workers from the firm are reportedly cutting away sections of the road to extract soil and using it for constructing temporary shelters. This has severely weakened the roadside soil layers, creating deep hollows and holes in several spots. When questioned, Nazrul Islam, a representative of ‘John JV’, claimed, ‘The soil belongs to me, and where I move or store it is my affair.’ Upon further querying, he admitted that the authorities had not granted permission to cut the road or transport the soil to Borobhanga. ‘The authorities instructed us to move the soil to a safe distance. I considered Borobhanga to be safe, so I brought it here,’ he added.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Marina Debnath stated that an official team was dispatched to the spot upon receiving the report. ‘The allegations were found to be true, though no workers were present at the scene at the time. We have contacted the accused contracting firm and ordered an immediate halt to the soil excavation. It remains unclear whether they had any approval from the road authorities, and we are attempting to reach them,’ she said. When contacted, Khairul Bashar Mohammad Saddam Hossain, Executive Engineer of Sylhet RHD, said, ‘I have just been informed that soil is being excavated from the road. No such permission was ever granted. We are looking into this matter with utmost seriousness.’
