A work assistant at the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has been temporarily suspended over the use of bamboo instead of steel rods in casting a footpath slab of an under-construction bridge in Tangail’s Basail.

LGED Chief Engineer Belal Hossain signed an office order on Wednesday confirming the suspension of Hasmat Ali, a work assistant at the department’s engineering office.

According to the order, the use of bamboo instead of the specified construction materials has severely damaged the government’s image. Hasmat was suspended under Rule 12(1) of the relevant service rules over allegations of misconduct and corruption. He will, however, receive subsistence allowance during the suspension period.

According to LGED sources, the 90.06-metre bridge is being constructed over the Maragangi River in Maij Khara area of Basail Municipality under the Rural Bridge Construction Project. The bridge is located on the Basail GC-Kauljani Union Parishad via Maij Khara GPS Road.

The project has an estimated cost of around Tk100.99 million. A joint venture of contractors M/s Yunus Al Mamun and M/s Zakir Enterprise is carrying out the work.

The construction began in September 2022 and was scheduled to be completed in February this year. The deadline was later extended after the work was not completed on time.

Around 80% of the construction work has been completed so far.

A video showing bamboo being used instead of steel rods in casting the footpath slab recently went viral on social media, sparking widespread criticism.

On Sunday night, local residents noticed the use of bamboo in the casting work and stopped it. Officials from the upazila administration and the engineering department later visited the site after being informed of the incident.