Beginning in April this year, LGED finished 25 per cent of work on the 2.5-kilometre Lawkathighat Shrirampur Road Project. On May 15, about 20 extortionists deman-ded Tk 2 lakh from the chairman of the project committee who refused to pay the money. At this stage the extortionists forced stop the work. From then on the work was stopped.

Local people told this correspondent, a union BNP leader, Mamun Mia wanted to be chairman of the project committee violating government rule. As his desire was not fulfilled, he became rival of the legal chairman of the project committee, GM Ali, a Union Parishad (UP) member. Mamun created obstacles from the very beginning of the work. He sent the extortionists to halt the work, local people told this correspondent.

On contact, Project committee chairman GM Ali informed he had already received Tk 80,000 in third installment to complete the next phase of the work. But he could not start it due to obstacles created by his rivals, he added.