Too busy to work at office

A plant propagation unit for producing high quality saplings at Bangladesh Forest Research Institute. Photo: Zobaer Hossain Sikder

The BFRI was established at Sholashahar in the port city on 28 hectares of land in 1955. It has a total of 22 research centres all over the country. Of 628 staff, 478 are class three and class four employees.

Most of the class three and class four employees have nursery business and shops.

They go to their office for the time being only to put signature on the attendance book. After putting signature they leave the office and do personal business, sources said.

Most of them have opened nursery at the staff quarters and around the BFRI area. It posed a threat to the BFRI over selling the saplings to the consumers.

Middlemen prevent consumers from buying saplings from BFRI and advise them to purchase those from the nurseries owned by the employees. As a result, the BFRI suffered a huge lose.

Besides, a section of class three and four employees has opened shops inside the BFRI compound. They are very irregular at their offices as they are busy with their private business.

However, the technical section is also not exception. Most of them reportedly are doing part time job at different business farms, sources said.

Despite being a losing concern since its establishment, the BFRI is going to deposit Tk.20 lakh to government fund as revenue for the first time. It will provide the fund in the current fiscal year from their internal resources.

The fund will be collected promoting its sales department and extending the activities of wood experiment department.

There are 828 posts at BFRI. Of the posts, 200 still are vacant, sources said.

The BFRI gets Tk. 5.5 crore budget from the government. Tk. 3.5 crore goes for the salary of 150 scientists and 478 class three and class four employees.

A lion's share goes to transport, service, supply, telephone, electricity, gas and other necessary sectors.

Only Tk. 9.5 lakh is allocated a year in research oriented sector.

The BFRI has so far invented 44 technologies to expand and protect forest resources.

BFRI Director Sheikh Sirajul Islam denied the allegation of private business by the staff during office hours. He said "they can do anything after office hour but not during office timing."

He urged the government to enhance budged for the research-oriented activities to make the BFRI a profitable concern.

"If we get few more money for research activities, we would be able to reach the doorstep of people with something better for our forest resource".