Bamboo Used Instead of Steel Rods in Tangail Bridge: LGED Work Assistant Suspended
Published : 17:53, 24 September 2026
A work assistant of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), Hasmat Ali, has been temporarily suspended following allegations that bamboo was used instead of steel rods in the casting of a footpath slab of an under-construction bridge in Basail municipality of Tangail.
The disciplinary action was taken through an official order signed by LGED Chief Engineer Belal Hossain.
According to the office order, the use of bamboo instead of specified standard construction materials had severely damaged the image of the government. Hasmat Ali was therefore temporarily suspended under the applicable service rules over allegations of corruption. He will remain entitled to subsistence allowance during the suspension period as per the rules.
According to LGED sources, the 90.06-metre-long bridge is being constructed over the Moragangi River in the Maij Khara area of Basail municipality under the Rural Bridge Construction Project.
The project has an estimated cost of around Tk 100.992 million. A joint venture of Messrs Yunus Al Mamun and Messrs Zakir Enterprise is carrying out the construction work.
Construction began in September 2022 and was originally scheduled to be completed in February this year. However, the deadline was later extended after the work was not completed within the stipulated period. Around 80 percent of the bridge construction has now been completed, according to LGED sources.
Recently, local residents noticed that bamboo was being used instead of steel rods during the casting of the footpath slab. Residents reportedly stopped the work on Sunday night and recorded videos of the incident.
The video subsequently spread rapidly on social media, prompting widespread discussion and criticism.
Following the incident, officials from the upazila administration and senior LGED officials visited the construction site for an inspection.
Subsequently, the concerned work assistant was temporarily suspended as part of departmental action.
