Renovation Work Halted at Rajshahi Divisional Cricket Stadium Following Reports of Substandard Construction
Photo Collected
Construction work at the Rajshahi Divisional Cricket Stadium was suspended on Monday following allegations of substandard material use and gross negligence in infrastructure renovation. The halting of the project comes after local officials discovered that newly laid road surfaces were disintegrating after minimal rainfall, exposing a lack of proper foundation and improper mixture ratios.
The renovation project, valued at approximately 22.2 million taka, is being overseen by the National Sports Council. The scope of work includes painting, new road construction, and the repair of existing access roads at the facility located in the Terokhadiya area.
Stadium venue manager Saifullah Khan Jem stated that he had previously alerted Mokhlesur Rahman, an assistant engineer at the National Sports Council, regarding the poor quality of work. Jem reportedly provided photographic evidence of the irregularities, though he claimed no corrective action was taken at the time.
In response, Assistant Engineer Mokhlesur acknowledged the technical shortcomings. He maintained that he has withheld payments to the contractors, demanding that they rectify the defects to meet required standards before any funds are released. He expressed optimism that the issues would be addressed within one week.
The project is divided between two contractors: Subarna Enterprise, which was awarded an 18 million taka contract for RCC road construction and repairs, and Deshbandhu Enterprise, which is tasked with painting the stadium and constructing a gallery restroom.
On-site inspections conducted on Monday revealed severe defects, including road surfaces comprised of sand mixed with insufficient bitumen, lacking the necessary base layer of stone chips. Furthermore, officials observed that the painting work performed by Deshbandhu Enterprise did not adhere to the project schedule. Although the official specifications required the use of Berger brand paint, workers were found using unauthorized alternatives.
Mojadded Jamani, member secretary of the Divisional Sports Association and a Bangladesh Cricket Board councilor, personally demonstrated the poor quality of the road work by exposing the lack of foundation material. Jamani has formally called for an official investigation into the irregularities.
Fazle Rabbi Khan, a sub-contractor for the painting work, defended the use of alternative brands, claiming the products used were of superior quality. However, the National Sports Council’s Director of Planning and Development, ABM Ehsanul Mamun, stated that he has ordered an immediate inspection and a formal report from the field engineers. He added that the council will pursue legal action against the contractors if the breaches of contract are confirmed.
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