The tender box was robbed at the RDA office in front of the police

Butter of Abu Kawsa

Tender boxes were looted in Rajshahi in broad daylight in the presence of police. The incident took place at the Rajshahi Development Authority (RDA) office on Tuesday (May 5) morning. This incident has raised serious questions about the transparency and security of the tender process.

According to the RDA office, an auction notice was published recently for the sale of various old and obsolete goods. These items included various materials including billboards, trees, solar panels, batteries and broken elevator parts. Tenders were accepted from April 27 and the last date for submission was Tuesday 1 pm. On the last day, the police were deployed for the security of the tender box. The tender box was taken and returned for some time in the presence of the police. But we don’t know who is involved with them, the police can say better.

Eyewitnesses said that in the morning, some leaders and activists of the local youth group and volunteers came to submit the tender and raised objections. They demanded that the tender submitted earlier should be canceled and only the tender of that day would be accepted. RDA officials tried to explain the matter but they refused.

The CCTV footage of the incident showed that policemen were present throughout, but they did not interfere practically. At this time, some political activists were also seen at the scene.
Later, when the tender box was opened around 2.30 pm, a total of nine tenders were received against four groups. It is known that about 450 people collected schedules for the purchase of these goods worth about two and a half lakh rupees.

RDA Assistant Engineer Kazi Asaduzzaman said, “This kind of incident is very sad in front of the police.” There is uncertainty as to whether the tenders were forcefully opened and re-stored properly. Legal action will be taken in this incident.

Meanwhile, the officer-in-charge (OC) of the concerned police station, Kabir Hossain, said the box was taken due to a misunderstanding and later returned. However, the incident is being taken seriously and necessary legal action will be taken. If the RDA authorities do not file a case, the police will take action on their own initiative, he said.The incident has sparked widespread debate across the city and raised questions about the role of security and administration in the tender process.