Our Correspondent :
Construction of 5 bridges and 2 roads at a cost of Tk 34 crore in Ramgarh, Guimara and Matiranga of Khagrachhari has been halted due to obstruction by armed terrorists of the Chittagong Hill Tracts. These are the work of the Department of Local Government Engineering (LGED) Disaster Damaged Rural Road Development Project (DDRRIP) in the three hill districts. Concerned contractors complained that they could not work on the project due to obstruction by United People’s Democratic Front, UPDF (Prosit).
With bridges and roads, law enforcement will be able to move faster in remote areas, which will damage the safe passage of armed members of mountain organizations and their dormitories. So the organization has told them not to work. Contractors say it is not possible for them to work without security. In this situation, there is uncertainty in the implementation of development projects.
The projects are 2 RCC girder bridges at Vaidyapara and Buddhadhan Karbaripara in Ramgarh at a cost of Tk 10 croe 68 lakh. 3 RCC girder bridges at a cost of Tk 15 crore 88 lakh on Sindhukchhari-Nakraipara-Guimara road of Guimara upazila, carpeting of Tannakapara-Azodha road at a cost of Tk 2 croe 54 lakh at Matiranga and carpeting of Gomti-Vaibonchhara road at Matiranga at a cost of Tk 4 crore 78 lakh. The projects are for the financial year 2019-20 and 2020-21, according to the concerned department. LGED also issues work orders as usual after hiring contractors for project implementation. Concerned contractors complained that after the project started in Ramgarh and Matiranga, armed members of the UPDF came to the side and stopped the work. They did not allow work to start on 3 bridges in Guimaras. Kabi Ranjan Tripura, the contractor of Matiranga’s Tanakkapara-Azodhya-Ramgarh road capturing project, complained that he also started work after receiving the work order.
After 2-3 days of work, the people of UPDF came and stopped the work. After much communication with the leaders of that organization, they did not agree to work. He said he has so far spent about Tk 65 lakh on the project.
He also said that it is not possible to work without security. On the other hand, Matiranga’s Gomti-Vaibonchhara road carpeting contractor got the work order last February and started work on the project.. After starting work on the side with construction machinery, excavators and other machinery, the work was stopped and the workers were evicted. According to the concerned, the armed terrorists of UPDF detained various machines including excavators. After much effort they get it back .
Work on the 4,280-meter-long road construction project is still stalled. Meanwhile, work on a 78 meter-long RCC girder bridge over the Pilak Canal at Vaidyapara in Ramgarh was similarly halted. The concerned contractor lobbied hard and took back the construction materials and machinery from the side without getting any result.
The labor shed built to house the workers there is currently locked. The same contractor is afraid to start work on another 6 8-meter-long bridge at Buddhadhan Karbaripara in Patachhara union of Ramgarh as he could not work on the bridge adjacent to BGB’s CIO camp.
According to LGED sources, three bridges were tendered in Vaidyapara, Ladhichhara and Matiranga’s Abhya areas in the 2018-19 financial year but the armed terrorists of the hilly regional organization did not allow them to work. Later the project was canceled. LGED Upazila Engineer Tanmoy Nath, who is in charge of Ramgarh and Matiranga, said that the contractors associated with the UPDF could not work even after contacting them without getting any consent. Now the project implementation period is also coming to an end. He said the matter has been brought to the notice of higher authorities. On the other hand, the contractor has not been able to start work on three RCC girder bridges of 50 meters, 88 meters and 90 meters length at different places of Sindhukchhari-Nakraipara-Guimara road in Guimara upazila. The bridge construction project worth Tk 15 crore 88 lakh is for the financial year 2019-2020.
The project is scheduled to be completed on January 17, 2022. Concerned parties complained that the UPDF was not able to start work as the project contractors were not allowed to work. Chaithowai Chowdhury, UP chairman of Hafchhari, Guimara, said the bridges would have facilitated road communication from Sindhukchari to Guimara.
Besides, the people of Kukichhara and Nakraipara, remote areas of the upazila, would have benefited a lot. But due to the obstruction of UPDF, the contractors are not able to start work on the bridges. Guimara Upazila Engineer Abdul Mannan said the work layout was given to the concerned contractor. They were also preparing to start work. But he is not getting the courage to work because of the UPDF ban.
Niron Chakma, the central organizer of the UPDF’s Prasit group, could not be reached for comment.
