United News of Bangladesh

The government has granted a one-year extension for the Kalurghat Bridge to Chaktai Canal Road project, now due in June 2026, as bureaucratic snarls in land acquisition stall critical work despite 82% completion and over Tk 2,200 crore already spent. The Tk 2,779.39 crore project, being implemented by the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, was originally set from July 2017 to June 2020, then extended multiple times, officials said. Road collapse paralyses 12 villages in Cumilla It was first extended to June 2021, then to June 2022, with the second revision approving an extension to June 2024, followed by another extension to June 2025, and most recently to June 2026, all without any additional cost increase. Initially approved in July 2017 with a deadline of June 2020, the project has undergone several deadline extensions to overcome land acquisition delays and technical hurdles, according to an official document obtained by UNB. The project, fully funded by the government, was initially approved at Tk 2,275.52 crore, later revised to Tk 2,310.24 crore in the first revision, and further increased to Tk 2,779.39 crore in the second revision. According to the ministry, the project is crucial for protecting key industrial and commercial areas, including Chaktai, Khatunganj, Bokshirhat, Bakalia, Chandgaon and Kalurghat industrial zones, from flooding and tidal surges. The project aims to ease traffic congestion by linking the Dhaka-Chattogram and Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highways, while also improving Chattogram’s communication system and protecting the city from tidal flooding as part of the proposed outer ring road. Despite significant progress — with 82% of physical work completed and Tk 2,203.59 crore (79.28%) spent up to March 2025 — delays in land acquisition, due to complexities in the economic code for land purchase, stalled work on 2 km of the road and two regulators. Moulvibazar’s roads in ruins, locals plead for repairs The ministry has justified the extension of the project period without any cost increase, stating that the ‘Construction of Road along the Bank of the Karnaphuli River from Kalurghat Bridge to Chaktai Canal’ project is a publicly significant initiative. Under the project, a 1.50-kilometre embankment-cum-road, 12 regulators at the mouths of 12 canals falling into the Karnaphuli River, slope protection work, retaining walls and waterways will be constructed. The second revised DPP was approved by ECNEC on August 16, 2022, and tenders for the remaining works were invited in line with the approved DPP. The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved the tenders on July 13, 2023, and the contractor signed the contract on July 30, 2023. But the Ministry of Finance withheld land acquisition funds in 2022-23 and 2023-24, leaving a 2-km stretch uncompensated and halting work on two regulators and the embankment-cum-road. “Currently, the DPP is being amended to facilitate the release of funds for the remaining land acquisition activities,” said an official wishing anonymity. As the current project deadline is June 2025, he said, an additional one-year extension until June 2026, without any increase in cost. The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) also approved the extension with strict conditions, including completion of all remaining work within the new deadline under a specific action plan and submission of the Project Completion Report within three months of finishing. It also instructed faster land acquisition for the remaining 2 km after fixing the relevant issues.    

A case has been filed against six government officials, including a senior assistant commissioner of the Chattogram district administration, for dilly-dallying to pay money due for land acquisition under the Bangabandhu Tunnel Project. The case was filed at the court of Chattogram Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Dev, said the plaintiff’s lawyer Advocate Anamul Hoque. Taking the allegations into cognisance, the court asked the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) to submit a report before it after investigating. The plaintiff is Md Hemayet Hossain, a resident of the port city’s Halishahar area. Read more: GK Shamim: Court sets Sept 25 for verdict in arms case On the other hand, the accused are the district administration’s Senior Assistant Commissioner (land acquisition department) and Executive Magistrate Ahsan Murad, land surveyor Mohammad Abdul Mumin, surveyors Mohammad Iman Hossain Gazi, Muktar Hossain, Abu Kawsar Sohel and their office attendant Belayet Hossain Bulu. According to the case statement, the victim’s grandfather Omda Miah had two families. Of them, there were two each sons and daughters in the first family and four sons in the second family. four sons of the second family obtained some lands from their grandfather as heirs but the first family’s members could not accept the matter.Meanwhile, the government took the land as acquisition for the Bangabandhu Tunnel through the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram. Centering the matter, victim Hemayet, a member of the first family, filed a case with a civil court in Chattogram earlier. Subsequently both the groups moved the High Court that ordered to take the money equally. Following the order, a deal was inked between them over sharing the money on March 13, 2016. Dodging the first family’s members, the members of the second family kept the money of the land acquisition under the custody of the prime accused. Read more: No prior permission needed to arrest govt officials for criminal offence The victim and others submitted a written complaint seeking money to the executive magistrate Ahsan Murad but they received no response in this regard for a long time. November 10 this year, the victim along with one Md Fakhrul Islam went to the magistrate’s office and wanted to know about the update of their complaint.At one stage of the altercation, all the accused allegedly harassed the duo physically and abused them verbally.    

The High Court on Sunday ordered Shahbagh police to arrest four trustee board members of North South University (NSU) in a case over embezzling money in the name of buying land for the campus. The four trustees of the university who sought bail were MA Kashem, Benazir Ahmed, Rehana Rahman and Muhammad Shahjahan. Also read: Corruption in NSU’s land acquisition: Hearing on 4 trustees’ bail plea Thursday A HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo passed the order rejecting their anticipatory bail plea. The court also ordered the police to produce them before the trial court within 24 hours. Senior lawyers AF Hasan Ariff, Fida M Kamal, Ajmalul Hossain and Mizan Sayeed appeared for the accused, while Lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Attorney General AM Amin Uddin along with Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed and Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state. On May 5, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sued the chairman of the board of trustees of North South University (NSU) Azim Uddin Ahmed and five others for embezzling Tk 303.82 crore in the name of buying land for the campus. The other accused is- Managing director of Ashalaya Housing and Developers Limited Amin Mobammad Hilali. The investigating officer of the ACC's Deputy Director Farid Ahmed Patwar filed the case. According to the Private University Act, 2010, the Board of Trustees is the highest governing body of a private university like North South University. According to the Memorandum of Association and Articles (Rules and Regulations) of the University, the University is a charitable, welfare oriented, non-commercial and non-profit educational institution. Also read: ACC sues NSU trustee board chairman, 5 others for stealing money The case states that over 9088 decimal land was bought in the name of campus development of NSU with the consent of some members of the Board of Trustees bypassing the approval of the University Syndicate, University Grants Commission and the Ministry of Education. They later withdrew cash from the buyer through cash checks in their own names and kept FDR in their own names. They unjustly benefited themselves by committing illegal activities through misuse of power and embezzling university and government funds, according to the case. In carrying out such illegal activities, they have committed a punishable offense by resorting to fraud and forgery and exchanging commissions.

The High Court on Wednesday fixed Thursday for the hearing of the bail petitions of four trustee board members of North South University (NSU) in a case over embezzling money in the name of buying land for the campus. The four members of the board of trustees of the university who sought bail were MA Kashem, Benazir Ahmed, Rehana Rahman and Muhammad Shahjahan. Also read:ACC sues NSU trustee board chairman, 5 others for stealing money The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo fixed the date after hearing of the case today. Barrister Ajmalul Hossain QC, former Attorney General AF Hassan Ariff and former Attorney General Fida M Kamal and Barrister Mizan Sayeed appeared for the accused in the court while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin ,Additional Attorney General Sheikh Mohammad Morshed and Deputy Attorney General AKM Amin Uddin Manik represented the state. On May 5, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sued the chairman of the board of trustees of North South University (NSU) Azim Uddin Ahmed and five others for embezzling money in the name of buying land for the campus. The other accused are: Managing director of Ashalaya Housing and Developers Limited Amin Mobammad Hilali and NSU Board of Trustee members MA Kashem, Benazir Ahmed, Rehana Rahman and Muhammad Shahjahan. The investigating officer of the ACC's Deputy Director Farid Ahmed Patwar filed the case. According to the Private University Act, 2010, the Board of Trustees is the highest governing body of a private university like North South University. According to the Memorandum of Association and Articles (Rules and Regulations) of the University, the University is a charitable, welfare oriented, non-commercial and non-profit educational institution. The case states that over 9088 decimal land was bought in the name of campus development of NSU with the consent of some members of the Board of Trustees bypassing the approval of the University Syndicate, University Grants Commission and the Ministry of Education. Also read:PMO document forgery: ACC approves chargesheet against 8 people including NSU treasurer Shahjahan They later withdrew cash from the buyer through cash checks in their own names and kept FDR in their own names. They unjustly benefited themselves by committing illegal activities through misuse of power and embezzling university and government funds, according to the case. In carrying out such illegal activities, they have committed a punishable offense by resorting to fraud and forgery and exchanging commissions.

Bagerhat district administration has started paying compensation to people affected by land acquisition for some development projects including Bagerhat Police Bureau Investigation (PBI) office construction.