Rajshahi, April 02 – A Local contractor Masud Rana took lease of 3.306 acres (10 bighas) Land of Rajshahi University for 4 years. The University agricultural project leased him the land for digging a pond on condition of not taking the soil of the land outside the campus. However, the contractor has violated the terms of the lease. According to the university source, a tender document for digging a pond on the east of Shaheed Shamsuzzoha hall was signed for four years with Masud Rana on March 2020 on condition of paying Taka 3 lakh per year to the university authority. Excavation work has been started a few days ago. The University Agriculture Project is responsible to look after the work.
An emergency meeting was held on Wednesday between the university authority and the agricultural project personnel. They decided in the meeting to send a letter to the contractor for stopping digging of the pond.
On Tuesday it was seen that a pond excavation work was going on near Shaheed Shamsuzzoha hall of the campus and the dug soil was being taken outside the campus by few tractor carriers.
According to a tractor driver, the soil was being taken to a brick kiln near Chouddopai area since Tuesday morning.
Acting officer of the agriculture project Prodip Kumar Roy said, they heard that the dug soil was being taken outside the campus and forbade the contractors men but they did not listen to us. Later, ‘we complained to the university authority and arranged a meeting with the administration. The decision to stop digging the pond came from the meeting’.
Contractor Masud Rana said, they were taking the soil informing the RU authority to fill a fellow land. The university authority informed him about the letter over a phone call but he did not see the letter as he was not in Rajshahi.
Contractor Masud is a resident of Budhpara area near the campus. He took lease of the land for farming fish. – RU Correspondent
