Extortionists bring road work to standstill

Road development work in West Rampura of the capital has been stalled after a contractor was allegedly approached to pay Tk 2 million as extortion. Locals have been suffering as the work could not be completed

The contracting firm M/s Alif Traders was executing road and drainage development works under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC). On June 20, a caller named Shonto allegedly called the contractor and introduced himself as the younger brother of top terrorist Jisan and demanded extortion money

However, the extortion demand could not be met and the workers of the contracting firm were allegedly attacked at least twice in August. After facing the attacks of local miscreants, M/s Alif Traders had to stop the work for the time being

The DNCC Ward No 22 awarded the contract on February 25 this year. The work started on June 21, which was to be completed by December 17. However, with the aggravating security situation, the prospect of completion of the project on time has appeared dim as the work had to be halted after the attacks on workers with vandalization of equipment.

The Rampura project is located in DNCC Ward No 22. The work started from WASA water pump in West Rampura and laid through various holdings up to WAPDA Road Bylane while Jhilikanan Road Bylane and Nasirertek were also a part of the development project. Road development and drainage improvement works were to be carried out in these localities.

According to M/s Alif Traders, most of the work was completed except for the final finishing touches. Besides, earth digging work was also completed. However, the contractor could not work after facing alleged extortion demands and attacks from criminals

DNCC regional office (Zone-3, Mohakhali) sent a warning letter to M/s Alif Traders after halting the work. In the letter sent by Executive Engineer Nurul Alam, the contractor was reminded of its responsibility and alleged negligence.

The letter said that during the inspection, the authority found that the work had been stopped. The excavated soil, debris, and construction materials were scattered on different places creating hindrance to free movement of people and traffic.

By virtue of this directive, the DNCC asked the contractor to remove the unwanted soil, debris, and materials from the site. It also asked the contractor to arrange skilled labor and complete the work within the stipulated time schedule.

M/s Alif Traders also sent a written application to DNCC Executive Engineer along with a copy to the DNCC authority concerned. The contractor in its representation mentioned the attack of miscreants and asked the authorities to take legal action against those responsible for the attack.

The firm also requested the DNCC executive engineer to intervene to expedite the work to complete the work within the scheduled time.

As per sources, it would be impossible for M/s Alif Traders to complete the work on time without the assurance of the security of its workers by law enforcers.

When contacted, the contractor Philips said that on 20 June, Shonto called him and introduced himself as the younger brother of terrorist Jisan and threatened him. According to him, the caller said, “You know who we are. If you don’t give us money work will not be allowed to continue.”

He added that after the phone call, the workers of his firm were attacked by local miscreants at least twice in August. He said that he had to stop the work as ensuring the security of his workers became his utmost priority.

In this connection, the local residents have suffered most as a result of this work stoppage as the road condition has deteriorated day by day

The locals called upon the authorities to take immediate action to complete the work as soon as possible. The firm has also requested the intervention of DNCC chief engineer, additional chief engineer, and regional executive officer.

When asked whether the problem had been solved, the contractor Philips replied, “The people from the group do not come here anymore. International mafias call and threaten us from abroad. We are ready to confront them. Now let’s see who will come, international or local mafias. We will see that first."

"God willing, we will do the work. We will start work tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. Our people have already started coming. The work was stopped for a long time. The criminals demanded extortion and made a nuisance of themselves. Even so, despite all the hindrances, we worked. However, we had to stop work for a while.”

He added, “I also feel bad about the plight of the people. How many elderly people go to the mosque to offer prayers but fall into the canal? It also hurts me as a human being. We are not the type of people who abandon work.”

When asked about the overall incident, DNCC Chief Engineer Syed Rakibul Hasan said, “We have received this complaint. However, we have some doubts about this matter. Other contractors are working in this area. So, why only this contractor faces these problems? If it is true, then we will also look into the matter if they applied to the police. If there is negligence on the part of the contractor, we will take action against them.”