Basail Upazila Engineer has been stand-released and transferred to Rowangchhari upazila in Bandarban after bamboo was allegedly used instead of steel rods in casting footpath slabs of a Tk10.09 crore bridge under construction in Tangail.
An office order signed by Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) Chief Engineer (Grade-1) Md Belal Hossain on Thursday said Kazi Fattaur Rahman had been transferred to the post of upazila engineer at Rowangchhari.
Under the order, he must be released from his current workplace and join the new posting by September 27. Otherwise, he will be considered stand-released that afternoon.
The incident has triggered multiple investigations. Three committees have been formed to probe the alleged use of bamboo, while the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) inspected the bridge on Wednesday. The inspection was led by ACC Tangail office Assistant Director Md Biplob Hossain.
A case filed by Fattaur names contractor SM Jahangir Alam and subcontractor Shah Alam as accused. Police have arrested Shah Alam.
LGED has also suspended sub-assistant engineer Md Moniruzzaman and served show-cause notices on Tangail Executive Engineer Jahnara Parvin and Fattaur over alleged negligence.
The 90.06-metre bridge is being built over the Moragangi River in Maijhkhara area of Basail municipality at a cost of Tk10.09 crore. Joint contractors Messrs Yunus Al Mamun and Messrs Zakir Enterprise started the project in September 2022. The original completion deadline was February this year, but the project was later extended. About 80% of the work has been completed.
Locals said workers began casting footpath slabs with bamboo instead of steel rods around 10:30 pm on September 20. Residents stopped the work and recorded the incident. However, they alleged that workers resumed the work after they left and completed the casting. Videos of the incident later went viral on social media, prompting authorities to inspect the bridge.
Jahnara Parvin declined to comment on Fattaur's stand release but confirmed that he had been served a show-cause notice.