New bridge develops cracks within an hour of inauguration

A newly constructed bridge under a Tk 130 million road development project in Lalmonirhat's Hatibandha developed visible cracks just one hour after being opened to traffic, prompting allegations of poor workmanship, corruption and the use of substandard construction materials.

The bridge is part of a Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) project to rehabilitate a 9.3-kilometre road and construct four bridges between Doikhawa College and Burir Bazar in Bhelaguri Union. Local residents alleged that the contractor, with the backing of local LGED officials, used low-quality bricks and soil instead of sand in parts of the construction. They claimed repeated complaints were ignored despite visible irregularities throughout the project.

The bridge near Boarderhat was opened to vehicles on Saturday afternoon, but cracks appeared within an hour and widened further the following day, raising fears of a possible structural failure. Residents criticised the quality of the work, describing it as a misuse of public funds, while some alleged they were threatened with false extortion cases after protesting against the construction practices.

LGED Hatibandha Upazila Engineer Akhtar Hossain denied allegations of corruption, saying construction defects can occur and that the site would be inspected before taking necessary action. Lalmonirhat LGED Executive Engineer Kawsar Alam said no compromise on construction quality would be tolerated and assured that legal action would be taken if any irregularities are confirmed. Meanwhile, local residents have demanded an independent high-level investigation to ensure accountability for those responsible.