Six senior officials of Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) have built an empire of irregularities and corruption. The surprising thing is that despite so many irregularities and specific allegations of corruption against these officials, they are still in good health.
Although they have earned hundreds of crores through irregularities and corruption including recruitment business, promotion business, tenders, there are allegations against them that a significant part of these money has been laundered abroad.
The officials of DPDC are Executive Director (Finance) Md Golam Mostafa, Executive Director (Operations) QM Shafiqul Islam, Executive Engineers of G2G Project Md Razibul Hadi and Md Mostafizur Rahman, Deputy General Manager (HR) Nihar Ranjan Sarker, Member of Board of Directors Md Kawsar Amir Ali. Many people think that they can find mountains of illegal wealth if they search.
It was known that several other officials of the company are also involved in this irregularity and corruption. They are executive director (HR) Sonamoni Chakma, former company secretary Asaduzzaman, chief engineer (central) Md Jahangir Alam and senior assistant accountant of Banasree division Md Jasimuddin.
On September 15, the Anti-Discrimination Engineers Council held a press conference at the National Press Club alleging irregularities and corruption against the company's senior officials.
The conference said that these officials have misappropriated the resources of the state exchequer with the support of the previous autocratic government, which goes against the independence achieved through the current anti-discrimination movement and is a great betrayal of the martyrs.
The press conference demanded immediate removal of the corrupt officials from important posts of DPDC, legal action after investigation of corruption, ensuring punishment and taking necessary steps to bring the looted money back to the state treasury within a reasonable time. They also demanded the appointment of honest and efficient officials who were deprived of promotion during the previous government's tenure in suitable positions. The Anti-Discrimination Engineers Council also sent several letters to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources about their irregularities and corruption.
Meanwhile, DPDC Executive Director (Finance) Md Golam Mostafa has been accused of unlimited charges. According to sources, Golam Mostafa has amassed a huge amount of wealth through irregularities and corruption in the last nine years. He is also accused of embezzling Tk 150 crore in the name of transfers, recruitment business and contractors. There are allegations that in exchange for money and influence, the company's big positions have been earned. Sometimes he became Additional Director (HR) and sometimes became Additional Director (ICT). Apart from this, he has embezzled Tk 120 crore by recruiting, transferring, promotion, CSS and contractor manpower while being in additional charge of the company's HR position. Golam Mostafa is also accused of embezzling a huge amount of money in the name of an anonymous contractor and taking advantage of DPDC's Tk 400 million in FDR in a private bank.
According to ACC sources, Golam Mostafa used the car of DPDC directors for family work. There are three houses in the capital's Banasree. He has taken a 5-katha plot in Purbachal in the name of his wife. Besides, there are 5 shops in Jamuna Future Park and a huge amount of wealth in Cumilla. He could not be reached despite repeated calls on his mobile phone to know about his complaint.
DPDC Executive Director (Operation) QM Shafiqul Islam is another official accused of corruption. Former State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid and Power Division Senior Secretary Md Habibur Rahman appointed QM Shafiqul Islam on contract basis for two years. He formed a 'syndicate' at DPDC after being appointed on January 29. He has done various misdeeds including DPDC's DSS, CSS contractor, electricity connection by taking bribe from customers, electricity connection violating the policy and transfer-business. The syndicate members are Kamrangirchar Division Executive Engineer Ehsanuzzaman, Mugda Division Executive Engineer Munsur, Moghbazar Superintending Engineer Nasir, Shitalakkhya Division Golam Morshed and Dhanmondi Acting Chief Engineer ANM Mostafa Kamal. On September 5, Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) engineers again sent a letter to the ACC demanding an investigation against the DPDC official. On behalf of the engineers, one Habibur Rahman made the allegation in the letter. At the beginning of the year, Shafiqul Islam was appointed as the executive director of DPDC from a project director of Rooppur Nuclear Plant. According to the complaint filed with the ACC, a senior secretary of the government appointed him to the post in exchange for a huge amount of financial transactions. There are also allegations that he is now transferring, promoting and recruiting in DPDC.
Asked about the allegations, Shafiqul Islam told The Daily Post, "All the allegations brought against me are false and fabricated."
In the meantime, there is no end to the allegations against DPDC's G2G project executive engineer Md Rajibul Hadi. There are allegations that he has become the owner of huge wealth in 16 years of his career. Wherever he performs his duties, he forms syndicates. He is also accused of working for the Chinese for money at the expense of the country's interests. According to sources, instead of qualified contractors, he took huge money by working with incompetent people. Rajibul Hadi was working as an engineer in DPDC's Khilgaon division. It was known that there was misconduct with customers, harassment and various delays in giving new electricity connections. Without the bribe, there would be no electricity connection. Not only that, it is alleged that he used to demand bribe when he went to pay the installment of electricity bill. The Anti-Discrimination Engineers Council has also alleged that former state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid has built an empire of irregularities and corruption under the umbrella of Bipu.
On condition of anonymity, a DPDC official told The Daily Post that Hadi designed various designs and drawings for Chinese private companies. He wasted hundreds of crores on the project by manipulating the design. He also alleged that he helped a Chinese company named Sinom to get a contract work worth Tk 200 crore. In return, Hadi took 5 percent from there. Razibul Hadi did not receive calls despite being called several times to inquire about the allegations.
The mountain of allegations is against DPDC Executive Engineer Md Mostafizur Rahman. According to the rules, all the conditions are fulfilled in the case of new electricity connection, but the connection does not give without money. It is alleged that even if there are irregularities, he gives all the legal connections when he gets money. In this case, he does not even care about the instructions of senior officials. According to sources, a property company in Banasree has arranged a new connection through a huge amount of financial transactions for the 10-storey building. In that case, there were no rules. It is alleged that there is a requirement of 327 kilowatts of load for 45 flats as per the requirement and demand of the building. But the document shows the load demand as only 244 kilowatts. That is, he has damaged DPDC financially by showing less load.
Asked about the irregularities, Mostafizur Rahman told The Daily Post that he cannot approve any work himself and neither is the approving officer nor the presenter. I don't know anything about these allegations.
There are also allegations against DPDC board member and former DESCO MD Kawsar Amir Ali. It is alleged that due to the syndicate of Kawsar Amir Ali and corruption and looting, DESCO suffered huge financial losses and embezzled crores by taking unnecessary projects even in this financial crisis of the country. It was known that after taking over as the managing director of DESCO, he has embezzled over Tk 200 crore in four years. There are multiple plots and luxurious flats in different areas including Dhanmondi in Dhaka. According to sources, Kawsar Amir Ali also has several flats in Dubai. There are land and plots worth Tk 50 crore in the name of family members in Purbachal of the capital. However, Kawsar Amir Ali could not be contacted about these allegations. There is no shortage of allegations against DPDC Deputy General Manager Nihar Ranjan Sarkar. It is known that he is the mastermind of the transfer business. He is accused of taking huge bribes in every sector of recruitment, promotion and transfer.
When asked about the allegations, he told The Daily Post, "I can't comment on these things. I need permission from my department to talk about these things."
He also said the same thing when asked why he needed the department's permission to talk about personal matters.
CAB Vice-President and energy expert M Shamsur Alam told The Daily Post that the government will take action against those who have allegations against them. The government has not started the work of reform yet, hopefully everything will be resolved when the government starts the work of reform. That may take a while. Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan, adviser to the interim government, declined to comment when asked about the matter. However, Jihadul Haque, a representative of the Anti-Discrimination Engineers Council, told The Daily Post that during the tenure of the previous government, they looted and ate in various ways. Honest officials have been deprived. We want to remove them immediately.
ZH
