Road Project Only 40% Complete With 6 Days Left
A 9.3 million baht road project in Yasothon province is only 40% complete with six days remaining, and officials have flagged a suspicious seven-day extension as potential corruption designed to shield the contractor from penalty fines.
On July 22, 2026, Prakop Mangkang, director of the Yasothon provincial Ombudsman's Office, led officials to inspect a special-purpose subsidy project titled 'Road Surface Expansion with Asphalt Concrete Reinforcement, Drainage Pipe Installation, and Solar Street Lights on Soi Tesaban 18,' budgeted at 9.324 million baht under Kudchumphattana Subdistrict Municipality.
The 180-day project (January 28 – July 27, 2026) has progressed only 40 percent, with major work still pending including 160 catch basins, 900 reinforced concrete pipes, and asphalt paving. Completion within the remaining six days is practically impossible.
A serious concern arose when the inspection committee voted to extend the contract by seven additional days (until August 3, 2026), citing inadequate grating cover specifications—a minor component issue used to justify extending a deadline for work that is 60 percent incomplete. The Ombudsman's Office flagged this as high-risk potential corruption designed to shield the contractor from daily penalty fines, constituting favoritism and state loss.
The Ombudsman's Office recommended the municipality delay approval and consult the State Audit Office and provincial treasury for careful legal review. Officials also stressed that if the July 27 deadline passes, penalties must be assessed immediately, and site supervisors must strictly monitor construction quality and public safety without allowing the contractor to cut corners on engineering standards.
