TA Pannan, Roving Correspondent

Various irregularities have been alleged against Abdur Rashid, Acting Director of Barendra Multipurpose Development Authority ( BMDA).

There are massive corruption regarding the ongoing work of the entire department including Ishwardi-Pawan district of Rajshahi Division.

Barendra Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) is running in the entire Rajshahi Division including Ishwardi-Pabna. It is an important agency in the agriculture sector.

A junior officer has been given the charge of director of a major project in a special strategy, promoting seven people from executive engineer to superintending engineer, giving work to close contractors with benefits, low quality.

There have been several complaints including simply helping contractors pay bills after work.

This information has been revealed on the basis of the written complaint sent to the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) by Superintending Engineer Abdul Latif, BMDA officials and deprived contractors.

According to sources, a junior official has been made director of a major project of Barendra Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA).

Even though there is an obligation to appoint the fifth grade officer as project director. Nazmul Huda, the official who has been made Project Director (PD) of a major project, is actually a sixth grade engineering officer.

He is an Assistant Engineer but currently holds the charge of Executive Engineer at BMDA Head Office. Nazmul Huda is ranked 20th among Assistant Engineers of BMDA and 47th among Engineering Officers of BMDA. The BMDA authorities have appointed a junior officer as the project manager for mysterious reasons, even though he is not qualified. In this case, there has been a clear violation of the policy of appointment of project director in BMDA and irregularities have been resorted to.

Due to this, an extreme dissatisfaction has been prevailing among the senior officials of BMDA. According to sources, a notification was issued by the Ministry of Agriculture on March 3, appointing Nazmul Huda as the project manager of the Padma river water supply and irrigation expansion project in Barendra area using double lifting method. The total cost of this project is estimated at 520 crores. Earlier, Chief Engineer Abul Kashem, Chief Engineer Abdul Latif and Executive Engineer Md. Nazmul Huda's name was recommended as the project director and sent to the ministry.

The concerned wing of the Ministry of Agriculture has issued a notification appointing Nazmul Huda, a junior officer preferred by the BMDA authorities, as the project director, due to mysterious reasons and special intrusion into the center of power through the back door. Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Taslima Ahmed confirmed the matter. When the notification of the Ministry in BMDA came to light recently, there was a lot of anger among the Senior Superintending Engineers and Executive Engineers.

They verbally protested the appointment of a major project PD through irregularities to the Chairman and Executive Director of the authority. These officers who protested because of job rules and regulations did not agree to speak publicly, but they demanded justice along with uncovering the truth by providing objective information to various media. According to sources concerned, BMDA has a policy for appointment of project managers.

According to paragraph 3 of 2(b) of the policy, educational qualifications, work experience, project implementation experience, procurement-related training and skills should be considered as criteria for making an officer a project manager. Clause 4 (4) of the policy clearly states that an officer not below the fifth grade of the national pay scale shall be appointed as Project Director. In this case, Md. Nazmul Huda being a sixth grade officer cannot in any way be appointed as Project Director.

Clause 4(4) of the policy further states that procurement provisions, trained in project management, experienced in project formulation, processing, implementation and experienced officer not below fifth grade should be given preference in appointing project manager. In this case, chief engineer Abul Kashem and supervising engineer Abdul Latif, who are interested in becoming PD, are more senior and experienced than Nazmul Huda. In the project, Padma Water Supply and Irrigation Expansion Project in Barend region by double lifting method is very risky and high technical complexity.

A junior officer with no previous experience in project implementation has been appointed as the director of such a risky and complex project. In that case, there is considerable doubt among the officials of BMDA about how such a big project will be implemented. Meanwhile, the source also claimed that fraud and deception have been resorted to in the recommendation of engineer Nazmul Huda to the ministry. The list of BMDA officials shows that Engineer Nazmul Huda is a Grade VI officer. But on January 11, BMDA executive director Abdur Rashid mentioned Nazmul Huda as a fifth grade officer in the proposal and recommendation sent to the Ministry of Agriculture.

With the direct support of the Executive Director, looting has been carried out every year in the name of quotation. Although there is a rule to keep 25% of the government money in private banks by misusing the financial power, he spends all the money every year in different ways.

Experienced officer not below should be given preference in appointment of Project Manager. In this case, chief engineer Abul Kashem and supervising engineer Abdul Latif, who are interested in becoming PD, are more senior and experienced than Nazmul Huda. In the project, Padma Water Supply and Irrigation Expansion Project in Barend region by double lifting method is very risky and high technical complexity. A junior officer with no previous experience in project implementation has been appointed as the director of such a risky and complex project.

In that case, there is considerable doubt among the officials of BMDA about how such a big project will be implemented. Meanwhile, the source also claimed that fraud and deception have been resorted to in the recommendation of engineer Nazmul Huda to the ministry.

The list of BMDA officials shows that Engineer Nazmul Huda is a Grade VI officer. But on January 11, BMDA executive director Abdur Rashid mentioned Nazmul Huda as a fifth grade officer in the proposal and recommendation sent to the Ministry of Agriculture. With the direct support of the Executive Director, looting has been carried out every year in the name of quotation. Although there is a rule to keep twenty-five percent of the government money in private banks by abusing the financial power, he deposited all the money in the private National Bank of ADP projects every year and took unethical money from the bank.

As per the government regulations, he is spending various expenses as per the approval of the BMDA BAZ Board, but he is spending according to his own will. Also, irregularities in the installation of deep tubewell in Ratipur-1 Mauza of Nachol zone, irregularities in the installation of pipeline of Kajal Keshar-1 deep tubewell in Nachore zone, irregularities in installation of pipeline of deep tubewell in Shahabdi Mauza of Godagari-1 zone. Poor quality pipes have been used in these works. 41 thousand 100 meters of pipes and fittings were received in two lots from Bengalplastic Pipe Limited, Dhaka. The quality of the pipes is very poor despite paying Tk 3 crore 11 lakh 60 thousand 3222. Even air vents in most schemes are placed awkwardly.

These irregularities and corruption have also been mentioned in the inspection report of Superintending Engineer Abdul Latif filed on 24.12.2023. Due to various types of corruption, a case was recently filed in Rajshahi Anti-Corruption Commission in the name of the executive director. BMDA Acting Director Abdur Rashid claimed that all allegations of irregularities and corruption, including the appointment of a junior officer as the director of a major project by the BMDA authorities, are false and untrue. The PD appoints whom the ministry deems fit. I only suggest names.

Although he did not agree to comment on mentioning Nazmul Huda as fifth grade officer, he pointed out that there is a mistake in the organogram of the organization and said that the same has happened in the case of those who are opposing the appointment of PD. Those who could not become PD are opposing by providing different information to the journalists from their pain. Pointing to the whistleblowers of irregularities and corruption, he said, "Investigation of those who are involved in the recruitment of PDs can also lead to snakes digging up earthworms.