Nazrul Rajbari Correspondent: An incident of extortion has occurred involving the contractor for the new Arai Sharya building at Rajbari Sadar Hospital. Work on the hospital’s elevator has been halted due to theft and the contractor’s refusal to pay extortion fees. This situation has caused significant public outcry since it became known.
On Sunday, July 20, at 10 am, Mohammad Zahirul Islam, the Sub-Divisional Engineer (Civil) from the Rajbari Public Works Department, addressed these issues during a development coordination meeting led by Deputy Commissioner Sultana Akhter at the Officers’ Club in Rajbari.
He stated that the installation of the hospital’s elevator has become challenging due to demands for extortion. The contractor’s team is living in fear. Local extortionists have approached the elevator contractor, threatening them at various times if their demands are not met. This has delayed the completion of the elevator work. Our contractor has already paid extortion fees multiple times. One group collects the extortion, and then another group appears. How many times can the contractor be expected to pay? Previously, the hospital’s air conditioning wires and outdoor equipment were stolen.
On January 20 of this year, Abdullah Al Mamun, the senior manager of the contracting firm, sent a letter to the executive engineer of the Rajbari Public Works Department. A copy of this letter was also sent to the Deputy Commissioner, the hospital superintendent, the army camp commander, and the officer-in-charge of Rajbari Sadar Police Station. Despite this, the extortionists have not ceased their activities.
Dr. Sheikh Md. Abdul Hannan, the superintendent of Rajbari Sadar Hospital, mentioned that the elevator contractor faced extortion a month ago. A complaint was lodged with the police regarding this incident, and some of his property was stolen. Nevertheless, work is currently progressing.
Md. Saifuzzaman, the Executive Engineer (A.D.) of the Rajbari Public Works Department, stated that Sub-Divisional Engineer (Civil) Mohammad Zahirul Islam has been assigned the responsibility of addressing these issues.
