Staff Correspondent

The incident of fire at the head office of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) at Banani in the capital and at the Circle-1 office at Mirpur-14 was shown throughout the month of July to divert the anti-discrimination student movement.

The responsibility was laid on the students. At that time, when the television was turned on, the former chairman of the organization, Gautam Chandra Paul, could be seen describing the fire in the BRTA building.

He was busy trying to divert the movement to different sectors by placing the entire responsibility on the students.

However, on July 24, the former chairman of BRTA held a press conference at a temporary office next to the damaged BRTA building in Banani area and explained the fire to the journalists.

He blame the protesting students. At that time, the Awami League's road-communication minister and Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader. Some television channels aired it throughout the day and on August 5, Hasina was forced to leave the country in the revolution of the students. After that, Gautam Chandra Pal started changing the volume gradually. Former BRTA Chairman Gautam Chandra Paul has been made OSD recently.

According to sources, Gautam Chandra Paul is the harborer of all the irregularities and corruption masters of the country during the dictatorship of Hasina and the accomplice of all the misdeeds of ministers/politicians and also accomplices of all the misdeeds of Obaidul Quader.

He was PS to Obaidul Quader for 7 years. At this time, Obaidul Quader's road-transport trade of thousands of crores of taka is the accomplice and accomplice of all the crimes and the loss of thousands of crores of taka and for this reason, Awami League appointed him as BRTA chairman as a reward, one month before the fall of the government on June 30. Earlier on April 22, he was promoted to Additional Secretary. However, most of the officers of his batch have not yet received this promotion.

It is learnt that Gautam Chandra Paul is working as a protector of Obaidul Quader's irregularities and corruption in BRTA for the last 15 years.

Already at that time, those who committed irregularities and corruption have adopted various methods to save them. Soon after Sheikh Hasina's escape to India, 11 people close to the former Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader controlled the syndicate of various types of misdemeanours, including irregularities and corruption, bribery, torture of senior officials and taking money from hostages. All of whom have homes in Noakhali. These employees who joined BRTA using ministerial powers have been transferred in important circles and carried out all kinds of misdeeds.

To save these corrupt people, after the victory of the students on August 5, some people working in Dhaka have been transferred to different places by changing their workplaces.

The general officers and employees of BRTA have demanded to investigate and take action against these corrupt employees. Besides, the general officers-employees of the organization have made a special demand to remove his personal officer (PS) Sanjay Dewan from BRTA and bring him under the law for helping to implement all the irregularities of Gautam Chandra Paul.

Meanwhile, after the fall of the autocratic government on August 5, this Gautam Chandra Paul is also the mastermind behind the creation of all kinds of anarchy on roads and highways. Gautam Chandra Pal is also the mastermind behind the government blockade by inciting ride drivers in the capital and other parts of the country in recent times. Due to which the police force had to deal with the traffic and is still struggling.

It is learnt that bribery has become an open secret in every office of the service provider under the influence of the syndicate of Obaidul Quader and Gautam Chandra Paul. Starting from vehicle registration, transfer of ownership, issuing fitness certificate and obtaining route permit, several times extra money had to be paid at every step. If the money was not paid, the beneficiaries had to be harassed.

According to BRTA sources, Obaidul Quader's syndicate committed the most crimes during the tenure of BRTA's former chairman Moshiur Rahman. Everything in Mirpur Circle of BRTA was hostage in their hands. Departmental directors, deputy directors, assistant directors and motor vehicle inspectors were hostages to them. The chairman of BRTA was also weak to these employees and Gautam Chandra Pal was the PS of Obaidul Quader at that time and had full control in his hands.

Obaidul Quader's former APS among the 11 associates discussed in Obaidul Quader's irregularities and corruption. Salim was one of the controllers of the recruitment-transfer syndicate. Apart from this, BRTA's Dhaka Metro-1 Circle Office Assistant Hasan Bin Azad, Senior Assistant Imdadul Haque Shamim and Dhaka Divisional Office Office Assistant Saheed Chowdhury were Dhaka controllers.

Record keeper Zahirul Islam (Chittagong Metro Circle-2), Record Keeper Taslim Mahmud (Chittagong District Circle), Record Keeper Naeem Uddin Chowdhury are among the employees who ruled Chittagong by showing the power of Obaidul Quader. Allegedly, they are from Noakhali. Although these employees worked in Chittagong, they had control over the whole country. They used to do all kinds of work in most of the offices with relatives or influence somewhere.

In the past, the people of Noakhali have shown great influence in BRTA offices. They used to harass the officials if they stopped the corruption. Many officials and employees who did not wish to be named mentioned that we did not get any results despite repeated complaints about these issues.

Several attempts were made to contact former BRTA Chairman Gautam Chandra Paul on his mobile phone but he could not be reached.