Naogaon: A Tk 1.08 crore government project aimed at re-excavating canals in Naogaon's Manda upazila has been marred by allegations of irregularities, particularly regarding the inclusion of affluent individuals and political activists in the worker list intended to provide employment to the ultra-poor.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the 40-day project was part of the Employment Generation Programme for the Poorest (EGPP) and was designed to provide jobs for 250 ultra-poor individuals while addressing water drainage and waterlogging issues in the area. The project targeted the re-excavation of canals spanning 3.6 kilometers in the Kusumba and Varsho unions, with Tk 50 lakh allocated for worker wages and the remainder for excavator operations, tree planting, and beautification.
Local residents have voiced concerns that no actual day laborers were seen working on the excavation, and alleged that the worker list included businessmen, shopkeepers, and political activists instead of genuine poor individuals. Project records indicated that 250 workers were expected to work daily, with only 61 workers marked absent over the project period, resulting in Tk 30,500 being returned to the government treasury.
Critics also raised issues regarding the inclusion of private agricultural lands in the project without adequately addressing landowners' complaints. Residents like Priti Rani and Mokhlesur Rahman Dewan reported that their lands were included in the excavation despite objections and a lack of visible labor activity.
Farmer Anwar Hossain claimed that the project was riddled with irregularities, alleging that political leaders from various parties benefited from it. These claims, however, remain unverified.
Project Implementation Committee Chairman Naufel Ali Mondal refuted the allegations, asserting that four excavators were used and that the worker list was accurate, albeit with possible inadvertent inclusions of some solvent individuals. Meanwhile, the Project Implementation Office (PIO) maintained that the project adhered to specifications, but residents contested that the excavation did not match the approved design at several locations.
Concerns were also raised by farmers about potential waterlogging in croplands due to insufficient water-control measures. Manda PIO Md Ariful Islam defended the project's execution, stating that 61 worker-days were marked as absent and Tk 30,500 was returned to the treasury. He contrasted Manda's project completion and worker attendance with other upazilas, which returned significantly higher amounts after similar projects.
Manda Upazila Nirbahi Officer Akhter Zahan Shathi indicated she lacked detailed information on the project, suggesting inquiries be directed to the PIO. According to District Relief and Rehabilitation Office data, Tk 87,039,397 was allocated for re-excavating 13 canals across 10 upazilas of Naogaon, excluding Sapahar, with an actual expenditure of Tk 73,084,415. The returned amounts varied significantly, with Manda returning the least among the upazilas.