Infrastructure development in Patuakhali has been completely stalled for 22 months, leaving 55 under-construction bridges and seven road projects abandoned. The projects, valued at a combined total of Tk 76.57 crore, fell into limbo following the political transition in August 2024, when the primary contractor fled the country. The subsequent freezing of the firm’s bank accounts has left the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) facing legal and administrative complications.

According to reports from our representative, the primary contract for these 22 project packages had been awarded to Ifti-ETCL Private Limited. This firm is owned by Mohiuddin Maharaj, the former Member of Parliament for the Pirojpur-2 constituency and Joint General Secretary of the district Awami League. Following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024, Maharaj left Bangladesh, prompting the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) to freeze his personal and institutional bank accounts on 13 August 2024. Consequently, local sub-contractors halted all physical operations due to transaction gridlocks.

Project Allocations and Structural Expenditure

The funding was sanctioned under multiple financial years (2021-22, 2022-33, and 2023-24) across several regional development initiatives. These include the Barishal Division Important Upazila and Union Road Widening and Strengthening Project (BDIRWSP), the Iron Bridge Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project (IBRP) in Southern Bangladesh, the Upazila Town (excluding Municipalities) Master Plan Formulation and Basic Infrastructure Development Project (UTMIDP), and the Under-100m Bridge Construction Project on Upazila, Union, and Village Roads (UHBP).

The table below breaks down the specific expenditure, physical targets, and progress recorded prior to the suspension of work across the affected upazilas:

Physical Progress Interrupted by Financial Gridlock

Before operations were completely suspended, the seven road development projects had reached an average physical progress rate of 56 per cent, with one project peaking at 90 per cent and another at a minimum of 25 per cent. The bridge construction packages showed an average progress rate of 77 per cent. In several locations across Kalapara, Galachipa, Sadar, and Rangabali upazilas, the main structural frameworks of the bridges were entirely completed. However, because the connecting approach roads were left incomplete, these newly built bridges remain entirely unusable.

Md. Hossain Ali Mir, the Executive Engineer of Patuakhali LGED, stated that the project timelines had previously been extended after missing their initial deadlines. The latest revised deadlines for the road projects were set for October and November 2024. However, the abrupt departure of the main contractor and the subsequent freezing of bank accounts disrupted all financial transactions.

Furthermore, sub-contractor Abul Kalam Azad, who was managing six to seven of the packages, stated that all communications with Ifti-ETCL Limited have ceased, and the phone of the firm’s Managing Director, Md. Masum, remains switched off. In a bid to clear outstanding bills and resolve the deadlock, several sub-contractors have filed lawsuits in court. Due to these ongoing legal proceedings, LGED cannot unilaterally cancel the contracts with Ifti-ETCL Limited. The local executive engineer has formally written to the Ministry of Local Government and higher authorities for instructions on how to resume the work.

Local Commuters Face Severe Disruptions

The prolonged suspension of work has severely impacted public mobility. On-site inspections conducted on 10 and 15 May at the construction site of a 30-metre iron bridge over a canal adjacent to Sipaibari in Morichbunia Union (Sadar Upazila) revealed that the upper deck of the bridge is finished, but the lack of an approach road bars any entry.

Similarly, on various road projects, construction materials like bricks and stone chips have been left strewn across the tracks. In sections where widening work had commenced, deep trenches dug on both sides of the roads accumulated rainwater during heavy downpours in late April, causing severe waterlogging. Abdul Jabbar Mridha, a resident of Morichbunia Union, confirmed that no workers or representatives from the contractor have visited the sites since July 2024. The combination of uncovered trenches, missing approach roads, and waterlogged potholes has made these roads entirely impassable for vehicles and highly hazardous for pedestrians.