A Tk 23.5 crore government-funded textile institute in Madaripur has yet to enrol a single student nearly two years after completion, while its newly built roof is leaking, classrooms remain unused and costly equipment has been shifted to another college for safekeeping.
The failure has raised questions over project planning and public spending, with the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) finding that the institute recorded 100 percent physical progress but has yet to begin academic activities.
An inspection by the Planning Ministry’s monitoring agency on October 10 found furniture stacked in classrooms, books and periodicals piled up in the library and parts of the building already showing signs of deterioration.
The four-storey academic and administrative building of the Marhum Abdur Rob Talukdar Textile Vocational Institute in Kalkini upazila was completed in December 2024. Yet the first batch of students may not be admitted until the 2027 academic session, according to the IMED evaluation.
The building’s roof is already showing worrying signs of damage. Water leaking from joints in rooftop water-tank pipes has accumulated on the surface, while holes and peeling plaster have exposed reinforcing steel bars. IMED warned that the roof could deteriorate rapidly without immediate repairs.
The institute’s main entrance has no nameplate, and local residents told inspectors they did not know what the building was meant for. Many saplings planted around the premises have died, while some trees were reportedly stolen.
In a further indication of the project’s failure to become operational, the project director told inspectors that 25 computers, a laptop, scanner, photocopier, multimedia projector and printer had been moved to Gopalganj Textile College to prevent theft.
Public investment without returns
Implemented by the Department of Textiles under the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, the project was designed to produce skilled mid-level workers for the country’s textile and ready-made garment industries.
Its two-year vocational course was intended to meet the demand for skilled workers at local mills and garment factories, create employment and self-employment opportunities, and support national development targets.
Despite the substantial investment, the institute has yet to deliver its primary objective of training workers.
IMED warned that unused books, furniture and equipment could deteriorate unless they were properly organised and maintained. It recommended starting academic activities without further delay.
Late, costlier and revised three times
The Planning Ministry approved the project on December 30, 2020, at an estimated cost of Tk 24.61 crore, with an implementation period from January 2021 to June 2023.
Delays in land acquisition and changes in the public works rate schedule pushed the approved cost to Tk 26.24 crore. The revised project was approved on October 22, 2023, extending the deadline to June 2024.
As construction remained incomplete, another six-month extension, until December 2024, was granted in September 2024 without additional project funding.
The project ultimately took 18 months longer than originally scheduled, representing a 62 percent time overrun. Its approved cost increased by Tk 1.63 crore, or 6.61 percent, from the initial estimate.
IMED observed that the original cost estimate “appears not to have been prepared correctly”. It also said repeated revisions and additional costs had diluted the project’s main objective and resulted in a waste of public money.
Spending short of allocation
Cumulative expenditure stood at Tk 23.50 crore, or 88.58 percent of the revised project cost of Tk 26.24 crore.
The largest share, around Tk 16.2 crore, went towards constructing the 5,013-square-metre academic and administrative building, against a planned allocation of Tk 19.8 crore.
The project also spent Tk 1.17 crore on 68 sets of laboratory equipment, Tk 95.8 lakh on 1,089 pieces of furniture, Tk 70.3 lakh on one acre of land and Tk 29.7 lakh on land development.
Other facilities included a power substation with a 200-kVA generator and rooftop solar panels, a boundary wall, internal roads, drainage, a car park and a cycle shed.
IMED found that fund releases consistently exceeded actual expenditure. Over five fiscal years, Tk 30.92 crore was allocated and released, against spending of around Tk 23.5 crore.
In fiscal year 2024-25, Tk 6.73 crore was released, but only Tk 4.89 crore was spent. Both physical and price contingency allocations of Tk 22.46 lakh each remained unused.
Management and audit concerns
The evaluation also highlighted weaknesses in project management. Both officials who served as project directors held the positions as additional responsibilities.
Joint Secretary Md Shahadat Hossain served from February 2021 to October 26, 2024, while Superintendent Md Monirul Haque took charge for the final two months of the project.
IMED further found that no audit had been conducted.
“The IMED has recommended immediate repairs to the roof, proper storage and protection of equipment, furniture and books, installation of a nameplate at the main entrance and stronger security to prevent further damage and theft,” said Md Mosharraf Hossain, an IMED director who inspected the project.
“We’ve also recommend the institute to begin academic activities without delay and stressed that future projects should complete essential procurement and start operations within their approved implementation periods,” he added.
The Textiles Ministry has been asked to report within one month on the action taken to implement the recommendations.