|| Online Desk: The under-construction 500-seat Town Hall Auditorium, built at a cost of Taka seven crore, was meant to become the hub for social and cultural activities for Barguna residents. However, more than six years after the deadline, construction remains incomplete. The building, which has been abandoned after approximately 80% of the work was completed, is now in ruins. Vandals have stripped away the doors and windows, and the infrastructure is deteriorating due to neglect. Despite the massive expenditure of public funds, residents are unable to benefit from the auditorium as it remains unopened. Local cultural activists allege that the construction ground to a halt due to political rivalries and the misappropriation of project funds for other purposes. However, the contractor and the municipal engineer have provided conflicting reasons for the delay. The construction of the 500-seat Town Hall auditorium in Barguna town began in March 2018 to facilitate various meetings, seminars, cultural events, and activities of social and cultural organisations. A budget of Tk 7 crore was allocated for the project.According to the contract, the construction was scheduled for completion by March 2020. However, the deadline was missed. The contracting firm completed around 80% of the work by 2022 before all construction ceased.Locals allege that the stalemate arose due to a change of mayor in the municipal elections, political disputes, and the diversion of the project's allocated funds into other sectors. Since then, the auditorium has been lying incomplete for years. Vandals have even stolen the doors and windows of the abandoned structure. Despite this, the municipal authorities have shown no visible initiative to maintain this vital infrastructure or finish the remaining work. According to local cultural activists, opening the Town Hall would have unlocked new possibilities for Barguna's cultural scene. It would have provided a permanent auditorium for regular activities, meetings, seminars, and events hosted by various cultural groups. At the same time, it could have played a vital role in supporting the activities of political parties and various social organisations.Iftekhar Shahin, President of the Nazrul Smriti Sangsad,, stated that the Barguna Town Hall auditorium initiative was launched to nurture and develop cultural activities. The initial plan included allocating a dedicated room for each cultural organisation. However, because the construction was abandoned midway, no expected benefits are being realised despite the expenditure of public money.He added that a fully completed Town Hall building would have greatly facilitated the operations of political parties as well as various social and cultural bodies. He noted that former municipal mayor Md. Shahadat H Hossain initiated the project. However, he alleged that the subsequent mayor, Advocate Kamrul Ahsan Maharaj, who was elected in 2022, left the work incomplete due to political vendetta.In his words, the building, constructed with millions of pounds of government money, has now effectively turned into a shelter for cattle. After the evening, this place becomes a hangout for drug dealers, and drugs are bought and sold freely.On the other hand, Md. Abul Hossain Khan, the proprietor of the contracting firm Arif & Asif Construction, blamed the diversion of project funds into other sectors for the work stoppage.He claimed that when the building construction was nearing completion, the funds allocated for the project were diverted to other sectors through collusion between the then-municipal mayor Advocate Kamrul Ahsan Maharaj and municipal engineers.He argued that there was no legal scope to divert the project's allocated funds in this manner, which ultimately forced him to halt construction. He added that if the required funds are deposited back into the project's designated account, he will complete the remaining work.However, Municipal Executive Engineer Md. Masum Billah offered  offered a different perspective. He stated that despite repeated letters being sent to the contractor to finish the construction, the work was never completed. Addressing the allegation of funds being diverted, he mentioned that once the work resumes, the administrator or the mayor will arrange the necessary funds by any means.As a result of the conflicting statements from the contractor and the municipal engineer, the future of the Town Hall auditorium construction project has been hanging in the balance for a long time. While the contractor has expressed an interest in finishing the job on the condition that funds are cleared, the municipal engineer has highlighted the contractor's failure to complete the assignment. Under these circumstances, the uncertainty surrounding when the remaining construction will be finished shows no sign of clearing.Local citizens and cultural activists have demanded that the incomplete auditorium be finished swiftly and opened to the public.In their view, opening the town hall will boost cultural activities in Barguna and provide local social organisations with a platform to run their initiatives. Simultaneously, the publicly funded facility, which has sat derelict for years, will finally serve the public interest.