Work on the model mosque on the Chakaria upazila parishad grounds in Cox's Bazar began almost seven years ago, with the foundation stone laid after Friday prayers in October 2019. It was meant to be finished on schedule, but the contractor has still not completed it, leaving local people angry and frustrated.
Under the Public Works Department's project to build a model mosque in every upazila, each mosque is allocated Tk 13 crore to Tk 16 crore. Chakaria's is a three-storey building with about 1,680 square metres on each floor. The design puts parking, an imam training centre, an autism corner, an Islamic bookshop and facilities for funeral bathing and janaza on the ground floor; the men's prayer hall, an Islamic library, pre-primary and Quran classes and a research centre on the first; and a women's prayer hall, digital registration and training for Hajj pilgrims, a conference room and guest accommodation on the second.
Meanwhile, an illegal power connection used for welding at the site has been caught. On Tuesday, a team led by sub-assistant engineer Ariful Islam of the Chakaria power distribution division seized the meter and the wire tapped from the main line. Executive engineer Md Asaduzzaman said a case has been filed under the illegal power connection law against the contractor, M/s Akhi Enterprise.
The firm's site engineer, Rakib Hossain, said the meter line did not carry enough power, so a temporary connection was taken from the main line, which he called a mistake. Its manager, Momen Ullah, said they are trying to get the meter reconnected quickly and continue the remaining work.
Abhijit Chowdhury, executive engineer of the Public Works Department in Cox's Bazar, said the first contractor abandoned the job soon after it began in 2019, and in mid-2023 Selim Azam Khan of Chattogram won the re-tender. Despite several extensions the work is unfinished; if it is not done by March next year, the contract will be cancelled and a penalty imposed. Upazila nirbahi officer Shaheen Delowar said he has seen little progress in his ten months in the post.
Local people want the work finished and the mosque opened to worshippers quickly, and any irregularities in the project investigated.
The report is from Dainik Bangla.
Photo: Shams141 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0); Pakundia Model Mosque in Kishoreganj, built under the same project
Source: Dainik Bangla
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