Contractors besieged the local food office in the Rajshahi city, demanding removal of regional food controller and accountant officer over their alleged corruption.
They also vandalised the doors, windows and furniture of the office while a case was filed against the attackers. Eyewitness said about 200 contractors’ representatives laid siege to the Rajshahi food office at around 11:30am, ransacked it and assaulted guards.
The demonstrators said the regional food controller, Abdullal-al-Mamun, and accountant officer Mohammad Mostakim did not float any tender to recruit new contractors since 2007.
They said the two officers were taking a huge amount of bribe from the invalid contracts and giving them work order violating the public procurement rules.
The protestors also said they had submitted a memorandum to the ministry but the ministry did not take any step and so the contracts went on the rampage.
Informed, a contingent from Rajpara thana police and a team from Rapid Action Battalion Rajshahi railway colony camp rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
Following the incident regional food controller Abdullal-al-Mamun lodged a case against the contractors with the Rajpara police station.
Rajpara police officer-in-charge ABM Rezaul Islam told New Age that food officer lodged a case but nobody was arrested till the afternoon.
When contacted, Abdullal-al-Mamun, told New Age that they floated a tender on March 19, 2013.
A total of 912 contractors bought the schedule, but in the face of obstacle by some local contractors, 578 contractors failed to drop their schedule.
Among the 578, two contractors lodged a case with the assistant judge court of Bogra and the High Court, protesting the obstacle, he said, adding the High Court stayed the tender process, Al Mamun added.
He also said, ‘As the high court delivered stay order we cannot complete the tender processes.’
-With New Age input
