There have been allegations of serious irregularities and corruption in the implementation of the Food for Work Program (Kabikha), Money for Work (Kabita) and Test Relief (TR) projects in Mohanpur Upazila, bordering Tanore, Rajshahi.

The project bill has already been paid after completing the June final. Due to poor quality work done through irregularities, most of the roads are being demolished, causing inconvenience to the locals. This is the picture that emerged during an inspection of a project in Kabita of Bakshimail Union (UP) of Mohanpur Upazila. According to the project circular, it is mandatory to install signboards mentioning the name of the relevant project, committee and allocation amount before starting the work, but in reality, most of the signboards are installed after the completion of the work and the bill is raised.

According to the Upazila Project Implementation Office, in the fiscal year 2025-26, the Project Implementation Officer’s Office in Mohanpur Upazila allocated 5 lakh 95 thousand taka for the road renovation and brick paving work from Saipara Abul’s house to Bakkar’s house under the Rural Infrastructure Reform (KABITA) program in Ward No. 2 of Mohanpur Upazila Sadar Bakshimail Union (UP). The work was done by the project president, UP member of Bakshimail Union Parishad, Mustafa Kamal.

Locals have complained that the bricks are coming off the road after a few days of the road paving due to improper work compared to the allocation. Some residents on the side of the road said that during the paving, low-quality bricks were used instead of digging in the middle of the road and a little sand was used. Due to this, the bricks on the road are coming off after a few days. The locals have sought the intervention of the concerned authorities. A project president, on condition of anonymity, said that it is not possible to do 100% work. When the first installment bill of the project was raised, some officials had to pay 10 thousand taka per lakh and the computer operator 2 thousand taka. The situation is similar in other sectors. He said that the situation is the same in every project in the upazila, and the truth of the complaint will be found if the ground work of the project is inspected. He sought the urgent intervention of the higher authorities of the concerned department to investigate each implemented project on the spot and take appropriate action.

Kabita Project President UP Member Mustafa Kamal denied these allegations and said that the work was done according to the project rules.

In this regard, Mohanpur Upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) Engineer Tariqul Islam denied these allegations and said, “Most of the project bills have not been paid yet. Many projects have encountered problems. The bills will not be paid until the work is resumed.” He said, “There is no scope for irregularities and corruption in the implementation of the project.”