A Correspondent :
Construction of the 22-storey Chittagong Nagar Bhaban, which is being implemented by the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), has missed the deadline two times so far in five years.
The authorities are yet do any works except laying the foundation plaque. The delay is mainly because of sheer negligence of the CCC authorities and the contractor, alleged some CCC officials. So, the fate of construction of the ‘Nagar Bhaban’ is hanging in the balance from 2010 and the delay may cause the project cost to escalate to double, said the CCC sources.
It is alleged that the CCC authorities could not take any measures against the contractor though he, being locally influential, has not started construction work so far in the last five years. He also tried to receive bill without doing work, added the CCC sources. On March 11, 2010, former CCC mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury had unveiled the plaque of the 22-storey building at Anderkilla.
December, 2012 was fixed as the deadline for completing the construction work of ‘Nagar Bhaban’.
Interestingly, the construction work of Nagar Bhaban could not be initiated even by the deadline. Then the authorities extended the deadline to December, 2014 but even within that fixed time the appointed contractor failed to start the construction work.
Before inaugurating the Nagar Bhaban work, the CCC authorities appointed a contractor firm, AJ Construction, on March 10, 2010 to construct the building at a cost of Tk46 crore. The construction company started their work in 2010 but in the Chittagong City Corporation elections on June 17, 2010 ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury was defeated by Mohammad Manjur Alam. With the change in the city mayorship post, the fate of Nagar Bahban hanged in the balance.
However, the authorities put the blame on the contractors for stopping work. When contacted, Mohammad Abu Zafar, proprietor of A J Construction, told journalists ,
“The former mayor took me otherwise and so he did not show interest to continue the construction work by me at the beginning.” “The CCC did not pay me any running bill though I have spent about Tk4 crore for the project,” said Zafar.
“The CCC doesn’t have any fund; so apparently I have stopped the construction work. After the elections (CCC polls-2015), I will resume the work,” added Zafar. During a recent visit to Nagar Bhaban site, it was found that nothing has been done except encircling the area with tins. Anwar Hossain, executive engineer, Division-5, CCC, told The Independent, “The appointed contractor is reluctant to do the work. They could not make any communication with us.”
“It was supposed to be completed in four phases. In every phase, we have allocated Tk10 crore for the project. But in the last five years the contractors did not submit any bill to the CCC,” added Anwar Hossain. “As the mayor could not sanction more than Tk10 crore under his authority, we set a plan to do the work in four phases,” also said Anwar.
According to the CCC sources, as former mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury moved to construct the building, to solve the space constraint of the CCC officials and councillors in 2010, without having permission from the Local Government Division of the concerned ministry , the construction work had been stopped.
Later, the ministry approved the construction of Nagar Bhaban on November 13, 2011. But the authorities still could not initiate the construction work rather extended the project time twice.
Construction of the 22-storey Chittagong Nagar Bhaban, which is being implemented by the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), has missed the deadline two times so far in five years.
The authorities are yet do any works except laying the foundation plaque. The delay is mainly because of sheer negligence of the CCC authorities and the contractor, alleged some CCC officials. So, the fate of construction of the ‘Nagar Bhaban’ is hanging in the balance from 2010 and the delay may cause the project cost to escalate to double, said the CCC sources.
It is alleged that the CCC authorities could not take any measures against the contractor though he, being locally influential, has not started construction work so far in the last five years. He also tried to receive bill without doing work, added the CCC sources. On March 11, 2010, former CCC mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury had unveiled the plaque of the 22-storey building at Anderkilla.
December, 2012 was fixed as the deadline for completing the construction work of ‘Nagar Bhaban’.
Interestingly, the construction work of Nagar Bhaban could not be initiated even by the deadline. Then the authorities extended the deadline to December, 2014 but even within that fixed time the appointed contractor failed to start the construction work.
Before inaugurating the Nagar Bhaban work, the CCC authorities appointed a contractor firm, AJ Construction, on March 10, 2010 to construct the building at a cost of Tk46 crore. The construction company started their work in 2010 but in the Chittagong City Corporation elections on June 17, 2010 ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury was defeated by Mohammad Manjur Alam. With the change in the city mayorship post, the fate of Nagar Bahban hanged in the balance.
However, the authorities put the blame on the contractors for stopping work. When contacted, Mohammad Abu Zafar, proprietor of A J Construction, told journalists ,
“The former mayor took me otherwise and so he did not show interest to continue the construction work by me at the beginning.” “The CCC did not pay me any running bill though I have spent about Tk4 crore for the project,” said Zafar.
“The CCC doesn’t have any fund; so apparently I have stopped the construction work. After the elections (CCC polls-2015), I will resume the work,” added Zafar. During a recent visit to Nagar Bhaban site, it was found that nothing has been done except encircling the area with tins. Anwar Hossain, executive engineer, Division-5, CCC, told The Independent, “The appointed contractor is reluctant to do the work. They could not make any communication with us.”
“It was supposed to be completed in four phases. In every phase, we have allocated Tk10 crore for the project. But in the last five years the contractors did not submit any bill to the CCC,” added Anwar Hossain. “As the mayor could not sanction more than Tk10 crore under his authority, we set a plan to do the work in four phases,” also said Anwar.
According to the CCC sources, as former mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury moved to construct the building, to solve the space constraint of the CCC officials and councillors in 2010, without having permission from the Local Government Division of the concerned ministry , the construction work had been stopped.
Later, the ministry approved the construction of Nagar Bhaban on November 13, 2011. But the authorities still could not initiate the construction work rather extended the project time twice.
