Cracks appear again in BPC's Tk60cr headquarters in Chattogram
Crack-like problems had appeared earlier at several points of the building and were repaired with putty.
Highlights:
- Three cracks spotted on the building's northern side
- Earlier crack-like defects were repaired with putty
- BPC says the building has not yet been formally handed over
- Experts call for a structural safety audit and independent probe
Cracks have appeared again in the new headquarters of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) in Chattogram, a building constructed at a cost of nearly Tk60 crore.
Three cracks were spotted on the northern side of the building during an inspection on Friday (14 August). A five-storey section of the building has also been covered with tarpaulin to protect it from rainwater.
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Crack-like defects had appeared at several points of the building earlier and were repaired with putty.
Barrister Mohammad Enam, president of Chattogram Development Forum, told TBS that the appearance of cracks in the BPC headquarters soon after its construction is "highly concerning" and raises questions about construction quality and accountability for public funds.
He said engineers should determine whether the defects are structural or surface-level and that a structural safety audit should be conducted if necessary.
"An independent technical investigation committee should be formed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the building. If any irregularities or construction defects are found, legal action should be taken against those responsible," he said.
BPC begins using new building
BPC began moving its offices to the new headquarters in early July.
On 8 July, equipment and office materials were moved from the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation building at Saltgola to the new BPC building in Joypahar on Sarson Road.
Office activities began there on 12 July, following a milad mahfil on 10 July. Officials and employees said rainwater entered several rooms on the first day of operations.
The new headquarters project cost nearly Tk60 crore. Construction of the five-storey steel-structure building in Joypahar began last year, with United Corporation appointed to carry out the work.
Mohammad Amin, owner of United Corporation, told TBS that the building was constructed entirely with a steel structure and that the reported defects were not related to the main steel framework.
"Various types of covers have been installed for external finishing. The issues being discussed are not related to the main steel structure," he said.
The project also faced controversy at the outset over allegations of hill cutting at the construction site. Construction was later allowed to continue.
The new building is intended to house all administrative activities of BPC headquarters, with around 180 officials and employees expected to work there, according to officials involved in the project.
BPC denies cracks
BPC, however, denied that cracks had developed in the building.
BPC Secretary Shahina Sultana told TBS that an earlier media report about cracks had subsequently been found to concern construction-related or putty-related defects rather than actual cracks in the building.
"No further issue regarding cracks in the building has come to our attention since then," she said.
She also said the headquarters project had not yet been formally handed over to BPC and remained under the construction company's control.
BPC Deputy General Manager (Planning) Md Apel Mamun has been supervising the project on behalf of the corporation and has been involved since its beginning. The secretary advised contacting him for details about the building's construction and technical aspects.
However, Apel Mamun did not respond to repeated phone calls seeking his comment on the new cracks found on Friday. He also did not reply to a message sent via WhatsApp.
BPC's long wait for own headquarters
According to BPC, the state-owned agency responsible for importing and marketing fuel oil has operated from rented buildings in Chattogram since 1990.
Its headquarters was initially located at the House Building Finance Corporation building in Agrabad before moving to the Bangladesh Shipping Corporation building in 2001.
After operating from rented premises for nearly three and a half decades, BPC took the initiative to construct its own headquarters.
BPC imports around seven million tonnes of fuel oil annually. The fuel is marketed through its subsidiaries Padma Oil Company, Jamuna Oil Company and Meghna Petroleum.
Imported crude oil is refined at Eastern Refinery, which is operated under BPC.
