A Union Parishad member has been accused of removing around 50,000 bricks from a herringbone road in Ashashuni upazila of Satkhira and using some of them in another road project under the KABITA programme.

Residents of Hanskhali village have submitted a written complaint to the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), seeking an investigation, action against those responsible for and immediate repair of the damaged road.

According to the complaint, the nearly one-kilometre road from North Gaiyakhali Bridge to Hanskhali Government Primary School is an important route for local residents. Mangal Chandra Sarker, a member of Ward 6 of Sadar Union Parishad, allegedly removed the bricks several months ago.

Residents said they protested the removal and were allegedly threatened by the UP member’s associates. The road subsequently deteriorated during the monsoon as rainwater washed away the soil, leaving potholes and making vehicle movement difficult.

The complaint also alleges that some of the removed bricks were used on a nearby road under a KABITA project. Instead of using newly allocated bricks, the project allegedly used the removed bricks and sand from the school grounds, while a bill of around Tk2.2 lakh was withdrawn.

Local resident Baburam Mondal said villagers had been told that the bricks would be used elsewhere and the original road would later be repaired.

“However, the road has not been repaired and has deteriorated further. We want an investigation into who authorised the removal of the bricks and who is responsible for restoring the road,” he said.

Another resident, Bhakta Kumar Baishaghi, alleged that the KABITA project was for the road from the school to a local resident’s house and that no new bricks were used.

Several residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they feared retaliation for speaking publicly and called for an investigation and reconstruction of the damaged road.

Mangal Chandra Sarker denied allegations that he had misappropriated bricks, but he did not give a clear response to claims that bricks removed from the road were used in the project.

Ashashuni UNO Shyamananda Kundu said he had received the complaint and assigned an official to investigate the allegations. “Legal action will be taken after the investigation report is submitted,” he said.

Why it matters

The incident underscores accountability gaps in local infrastructure management and highlights the impact of corruption on public services in Bangladesh.