The chief executive officer of the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) has asked the superintendent engineer of its electric department to explain how a contractor was allowed to install sodium lights without any tender or work order. Based on the report published in The Independent on May 13, titled “Sodium Lights Installed without tender”, the letter was sent to Superintendent Engineer Mahfuzul Haque as per the directive of the port city’s new mayor, AJM Nasir Uddin, CCC sources said.
The report revealed that the installation of high pressure sodium lights on different streets of the city was completed even before a tender was floated or any work order was given to the contractor. A company named Halim Enterprise installed 85 sodium lights at Siraj-ud-wala Road, and 78 lights in Shaheed Minar, railway station and Bakalia stadium areas without submitting any quotation or receiving any work order. The company was also supposed to install 318 lights in other areas of the city. After 27 days of publication of the news, the CEO signed the letter on June 10, asking the superintendent engineer to explain the matter within seven days.
However, sources said the engineer was yet to reply to the CCC letter.