Although the results of a tender bid called for the re-excavation work of Lakutia canal in Barisal is yet to come out, local influential people mainly from the ruling party Awami League have started digging the water body.
Local people alleged that as the people were from the Awami League, the authorities concerned did not dare to raise voice against the irregularities.
Moreover, the ruling party men who have started re-excavation work of the canal a week back are not maintaining standard of the work.
Local people had been demanding excavation of the canal for long since the water body playing a vital role in the irrigation of about 800 hectares of land.
If the canal is excavated properly about 20,000 farmers of Babuganj upazila could be benefited from it, local people said.
The 11-kilometre long Lakutia canal has been excavated by Rajchandra Roy, landlord of the area, in the middle of 19th century to connect Babuganj upazila with Barisal district town through waterway.
In Pakistan period, local farmers started using water from the canal for irrigation purpose and after the Independence of the country the water body has become the main source of irrigation for local farmers.
In the passage of time, lack of proper maintenance and random grabbing made the canal narrow and flow less.
In January, 2013, Babuganj upazila nirbahi office has taken a decision to dig the canal again.
Then, a team of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) after conducting a survey approved a plan to re-excavate the canal.
In November 2013, Babuganj upazila nirbahi office evicted land grabbers from there.
After that the Local Government Engineering Department called a tender under Kashipur Sub-project of Small Scale Water Resources Development Sector Project in November 2014.
But the ruling party men could not wait for the results for the tender bid and started the work under the nose of administration.
Showing urgency of water flow for boro cultivation, the influential quarters have started re-excavation.
Barisal office of LGED acknowledging the facts said despite the current re-excavation, the canal may be needed to dig again as work standard was not maintained properly.
According to the condition of the tender, bottom of the canal should be excavated from three to six feet depth and all the land grabbers have to be evicted. The cost of the work was estimated at Tk1.08 crore.
But labourers are dumping the excavated mud at the side of the canal which could fill up the canal bed again after a little rain.
The interested parties are doing the excavation hurriedly to misappropriate allocated money, said Bazlur Rahman, a local resident.
No one can do any development without taking permission from authorities concerned, said Ruhul Amin, executive engineer of Barisal LGED.
Abul Bashar, sub-divisional engineer of the LGED, acknowledging the fact said the work without maintaining proper standard and design was just waste of money.
Dr Mujibur Rahman, president of Kasipur ward Awami League, said they had taken permission from higher authorites. He also expressed hope that they were going to get the work order soon.
