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Mohiuddin Sumon, Tangail: Allegations have surfaced that bamboo was used instead of steel rebar while casting part of a bridge being constructed at a cost of Tk 100.99 crore in Basail upazila of Tangail.
A video showing workers allegedly using bamboo in place of rebar during construction at night has gone viral on social media, triggering widespread criticism.
Basail Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Iqbal Hossain inspected the bridge site on Monday afternoon and said he found evidence of bamboo being used instead of rebar.
The incident has sparked anger and concern among local residents, who have demanded a proper investigation and legal action against those responsible.
According to locals, construction of the bridge at Maijhkharā Moragangi in Ward No. 1 of Basail municipality has been carried out at night since work began. Suspecting irregularities, some residents secretly monitored the construction and allegedly found bamboo being used instead of rebar during concrete casting at night.
Local resident Shihab Khanshur said, “Bamboo is being used for casting the bridge in our Maijhkharā area. The government allocated such a large amount of money for the project, so where is that money going? There appears to be serious corruption in the bridge construction. There may also be local people involved with the contractor.”
He called for a fair investigation and punishment of those responsible.
Another resident, Aziz Mia, said the construction work was supposed to be carried out during the day but was being done at night.
“Some local youths saw workers casting concrete at night using bamboo. They were using only some sand, cement and bamboo for the casting,” he said.
According to the Upazila Engineering Office, the 90.06-metre-long girder bridge is being reconstructed on the Basail GC-Kauljani Union Parishad Office via Maijhkharā GPS Road under Basail upazila.
The contract was awarded to Messrs Yunus Al Mamun-Messrs Zakir at a cost of Tk 10,09,92,000. The project began in September 2022 and was originally scheduled for completion in February 2024. The deadline was later extended.
Around 80 percent of the bridge work has been completed, while the remaining 20 percent is yet to be finished.
Shariful Islam, supervisor of the contractor, acknowledged that bamboo had been used in the work but disputed the allegation that it had replaced rebar in the bridge structure.
“Rebar was not used for the site portion on top of the bridge. We made a cage with bamboo and cast it using a bag of cement on top,” he said.
Basail Upazila Assistant Engineer Moniruzzaman said an inspection had confirmed the use of bamboo instead of rebar.
“However, the Upazila Engineering Office will not take responsibility for this work, as the project is being implemented by the District Engineering Office,” he said, adding that the district engineer would be informed and necessary action recommended.
UNO Md Iqbal Hossain said he visited the bridge after being informed about the allegation and confirmed that bamboo had been used instead of rebar.
“A committee will be formed soon to investigate the matter, and legal action will be taken through the concerned department,” he said.
