Md Atowar Rahman, Nilphamari :
Slow pace to construct 15.5- kilometer (km) long Saidpur-Nilphamari Highway via Uttara EPZ has been causing sufferings to 35 thousand EPZ factory workers to go their work place and foreign investors have to carry products to ports for shipment though only two months remaining to expire schedule time to complete work by August this year as two construction farms doing work in two segments.
Besides, drivers, passengers of three thousand vehicles run through the road daily also suffers.Executive Engineer of Roads and Highway Department (R HD) in Nilphamari AKM Hamidur Rahman said, ” We issued letter to one of the farms Navana Construction Ltd expressing concern as it has done only 15% work so far in its 8 km segment and we may cancel its work order.”
Additional Secretary Belayet Hossen of Ministry of Bridges and Roads during his visit to the site in April expressed resentment over scanty work asking officials for action against Navana, he added.
However, in another segment stretching 7.5 kms of the highway, construction farm ‘Contractors Consortium’ completed 55% work which also not proportionate to time frame.
R & H Department Sub- divisional Engineer (SDE) Md Shafiq Molla informed that Government allocated Tk 200 crore to construct the highway and Tk 90 crores were allocated for land acquisition and road construction respectively to make its widen to 33 feet from existing 18 feet.
He also informed that work order given in August last year to Navana Construction Ltd and ‘Contractors Consortium’ for constructing highway’s two segments in one year by August, 2019.
Visiting the area on Friday, this correspondent found that Navana Construction Ltd filled two kms long area with earth alongside the existing road near Dhelapir Bazaar six months ago and kept abandoned till now posing risk of accident.
Work of improved sub grade, sub base, base type-2 and base type-1 have been done only in one km length near Saidpur Wapda keeping two final steps yet undone while rest 5 km of the road out of 8 km is still untouched and water remains stagnant in many spots like in Kazirhat bazar.
Akhtar Hosain Badal, President of Nilphamari unit Bus, Minibus Workers’ Union said, ” Drivers are plying vehicles through the existing road amid risk as construction going on in snail’s pace.”
Some 35, 000 workers are engaged in different factories of Uttara EPZ and terrific traffic jam becomes a regular feature on the road as they used it day and night while factories carry products with heavy vehicles,” said Md Farhanul Islam, Acting President of Nilphamari Chamber.
Md Ferdous Alam, Project Manager of Navana Construction Ltd on contact said, “We made late to start the work due to unavoidable situation leading to little work but like to do tremendous advancement in next two months.”
Slow pace to construct 15.5- kilometer (km) long Saidpur-Nilphamari Highway via Uttara EPZ has been causing sufferings to 35 thousand EPZ factory workers to go their work place and foreign investors have to carry products to ports for shipment though only two months remaining to expire schedule time to complete work by August this year as two construction farms doing work in two segments.
Besides, drivers, passengers of three thousand vehicles run through the road daily also suffers.Executive Engineer of Roads and Highway Department (R HD) in Nilphamari AKM Hamidur Rahman said, ” We issued letter to one of the farms Navana Construction Ltd expressing concern as it has done only 15% work so far in its 8 km segment and we may cancel its work order.”
Additional Secretary Belayet Hossen of Ministry of Bridges and Roads during his visit to the site in April expressed resentment over scanty work asking officials for action against Navana, he added.
However, in another segment stretching 7.5 kms of the highway, construction farm ‘Contractors Consortium’ completed 55% work which also not proportionate to time frame.
R & H Department Sub- divisional Engineer (SDE) Md Shafiq Molla informed that Government allocated Tk 200 crore to construct the highway and Tk 90 crores were allocated for land acquisition and road construction respectively to make its widen to 33 feet from existing 18 feet.
He also informed that work order given in August last year to Navana Construction Ltd and ‘Contractors Consortium’ for constructing highway’s two segments in one year by August, 2019.
Visiting the area on Friday, this correspondent found that Navana Construction Ltd filled two kms long area with earth alongside the existing road near Dhelapir Bazaar six months ago and kept abandoned till now posing risk of accident.
Work of improved sub grade, sub base, base type-2 and base type-1 have been done only in one km length near Saidpur Wapda keeping two final steps yet undone while rest 5 km of the road out of 8 km is still untouched and water remains stagnant in many spots like in Kazirhat bazar.
Akhtar Hosain Badal, President of Nilphamari unit Bus, Minibus Workers’ Union said, ” Drivers are plying vehicles through the existing road amid risk as construction going on in snail’s pace.”
Some 35, 000 workers are engaged in different factories of Uttara EPZ and terrific traffic jam becomes a regular feature on the road as they used it day and night while factories carry products with heavy vehicles,” said Md Farhanul Islam, Acting President of Nilphamari Chamber.
Md Ferdous Alam, Project Manager of Navana Construction Ltd on contact said, “We made late to start the work due to unavoidable situation leading to little work but like to do tremendous advancement in next two months.”
