The Planning Ministry has found massive irregularities in the construction of the Tk567.15 crore Bhairab Bridge in Kishoreganj over the Meghna River.
The contractor firm, Indian joint venture Ircon-Afcons, has allegedly been using poor quality construction material for the 982.2 metre long rail bridge.
A team of experts from the ministry’s Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) visited the construction site in January. Later they issued a report on the irregularities found there.
“The construction firm violated the rules of agreement by using low priced materials and instruments,” the report said.
IMED also sent the report to the Railway Ministry.
Railway Secretary Firoz Salauddin confirmed that the ministry had received the report.
“We got the IMED report on Bhairab bridge. We have formed a committee that will submit another report. After getting that report we will be certain what actually has happened,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Railway Director General Amzad Hossain visited the construction yard after the allegations were raised, but he refused to comment on the issue.
The construction firm has already completed piling and begun constructing pillars. The IMED report said 13 pillars were almost complete.
The report said the construction company was using low quality sand and stone for the pillars. They also used shatter made of wood to build the pillars instead of stainless steel.
The report said 55% of the construction work has been completed till the January 2016.
In 2013, the Indian construction firm Ircon-Afcons JV was awarded the contract for the Tk567.15 crore Bhairab bridge project under the $1 billion Indian line of credit. The deadline for the project expired in March.
“The contractor firm has collected construction materials from India according to the deal but the import process might be lengthy, resulting in delay,” Project director Abdul Hai said.
Ircon is a public sector unit of the Indian Ministry of Railways. Afcons Infrastructure is a subsidiary of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, which was recently awarded a deal to build a 225MW power plant in Bhola.
