How audacious of the contractors to beat up a project director
A member of parliament from the ruling party, while addressing the Jatiya Sangsad, said a few days ago that the chair and table, even the air of the city corporation take bribes. He made the comment about Dhaka North City Corporation.
But this time Chattogram City Corporation has made headlines for a different reason. A group of contractors, among whom there are supporters of the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP, attacked a project director (PD) as they failed to get the project work worth Tk 25 billion.
Together they run the contract business. As the project manager did not grant their wish this time, they beat him up together and broke the glass of his table.
After project director Golam Yazdani took charge, the unscrupulous quarters saw red for not being able to take unfair advantage. The case statement described nearly 15 to 20 license holding contractors of the city corporation gathered in front of the project director’s office on the fourth floor of the main building at around 3:30 pm on Monday.
They started abusing the PD after barging into his room. Suddenly, contractor named Kangkan, Ferdous and Subhash punched the project manager by the collar of his shirt. They tore his shirt and removed his belt. Another contractor Sahabuddin brought out a rod from inside his shirt and broke the glass of the table. He tried to hit the project manager on the head. The office assistant Tilak Singh managed to prevent the blow somehow.
Prothom Alo reported, project director Golam Yazdani was beaten up by a group of contractors in his office room at the city corporation’s headquarters at Tigerpass area in the city on Sunday afternoon. According to the engineering office of the city corporation BNP leaning Md. Sahabuddin led the attack.
At least 15 people took part in the attack. Among them are former Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders and supporters of Awami League. Sanjay Bhowmik alias Kangkan is the former library secretary of Chattogram city unit BCL while Ferdous, Subhash and Habib are supporters of the Awami League.
‘Various Road Development and Important Infrastructure Development under Chattogram City Corporation including Airport Road’ is the biggest project in the history of Chattogram City Corporation. This project worth Tk 25 billion was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on 4 January last year.
Golam Yazdani, executive engineer of Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) was vested with the responsibility as the director of this project from the ministry of local government on 14 August last year. Tenders for the first phase of the project worth Tk 2.2 billion were invited in 37 lots last November.
The project includes various development works including overpass, road, pedestrian-bridge, culvert and roundabout construction. It is alleged that contractors managed to get the work by manipulating the previous two project directors.
We witnessed friendship between PDs and contractors until now. The friendship develops for unscrupulous advantages. We must appreciate Chattogram City Corporation project director Golam Yazdani if he broke the crooked cycle and gives work to the contractors following the proper rules.
The government and the city corporation should ensure his safety. At the same time, the contractors who laid their hands on him should be tried accordingly. Three contractors were arrested and sent to jail. The rest should be brought under law. This practice of gathering mob and carrying out violence must stop.