Contractors on Sunday threatened that they would suspend all ongoing development works commissioned by the Rajshahi City Corporation from July 23, alleging serious administrative deadlock and harassment by top officials.
The warning came at a press conference held at a community centre in the city on Sunday morning under the banner of 鈥楥onscious citizens of Rajshahi and RCC contractors.
At the press conference, contractors accused RCC secretary Rumana Afroze of deliberately blocking the files related to their payment for months without any explanation.
Contractor Tarikul Islam alleged that both RCC chief executive officer Rezaul Karim and secretary Rumana Afroze created serious disruptions since assuming office.
鈥楾he secretary, since her joining in April, has been harassing service recipients and contractors alike. She keeps bill files pending for months and misbehaves when approached,鈥� he said.
Tarikul claimed that many development projects had already stalled due to the payment delays, resulting in increased traffic congestion on the city streets.
He further alleged that the disruptions might be politically motivated, intended to discredit both the government and the city corporation.
According to him, several RCC departments, including conservancy, transport, power, and engineering, have raised informal complaints against the secretary, though most officials remained silent out of fear for their jobs.
鈥楽he even refuses to sign pension papers for retired employees and delays payments for published advertisements without any reason,鈥� he added.
The contractors and concerned citizens present at the briefing also demanded the appointment of a permanent RCC administrator, stating that current administrator Rajshahi divisional commissioner Khondokar Azim Ahmed could not effectively manage both roles.
They claimed that a dedicated full-time administrator would improve both service delivery and operational efficiency.
鈥業f these problems are not solved, we will suspend all ongoing RCC development work from July 23. Additionally, we will also form a human chain in front of Nagar Bhaban on July 27,鈥� Tarikul announced.
Among others, contractors Belal Khan, Touhidul Islam, Azizul Haque Bhuiyan, Gazi Salahuddin, Yahia Khan, Rezaul Islam, Md Amin and Md Shawkat were present at the press conference.
RCC secretary Rumana Afroze could not be reached over phone for comments.
