Over 140 households at Borla village, Ramganj upazila are deprived of electricity as ruling party men allegedly embezzled the fund for installation of electric poles.
Local sources said a section of Jubo League men, youth wing of the Bangladesh Awami League, took Tk900,000 from the people of the village to install electric poles.
Locals alleged that Jubo League men Shahadat, Zahangir Alam, Zakir Hossain and six others had collected the money introducing themselves as the men of Habibur Rahman Paban, central Jubo League leader.
They assured them that they would set up electric pole and connect power soon.
Khokan of Dewanbari, Billal Hossain of Beparibari, Shafique Mian of Mizibari and Bealaet of Patowaribari said the Jubo League took the money saying if anyone failed to give money, he would not be provided the power connection.
But many days already had passed, the villagers did not get electricity.
Now, they demanded more money and said they could not provide electricity in the area if they were not given the money.
Sources said clashes took the place several times between Awami League men and the villagers over the issue.
Jahangir Alam, local Jubo League leader said they had taken the money according to the direction of Paban.
Paban said: “I ordered the Jubo League men to connect the power in the area. I did not said them for collecting money.”
The collected money had been expended as bribe behind electricity offices in Dhaka and Lakshmipur.“We have not misappropriated the money,” he said.
UP member Abul Kashem said he was harassed by the ruling party men as he protested them for collecting the money forcefully. Engineer Mir Asraful of Palli Bidyut Office said installing the poles at the village had already started.
