Test Relief Programme in Sadullapur of Gaibandha
57 project heads sued on misappropriation charge
Authorities have sued 57 project chairmen on charge of misappropriating rice and wheat allocated for government test relief programme meant for maintenance of rural infrastructure in Sadullapur upazila of the district.
Sadullapur upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) Moshiur Rahman filed certificate cases with the UNO and General Certificate Officer's court in the upazila accusing the 57 chairmen of misappropriating 18 tonnes of rice allocated for 14 projects and 46 tonnes of wheat for 43 projects under the programme.
Most of the accused people are local leaders and activists of Jatiya Party (Ershad).
PIO Moshiur Rahman said 175 tonnes of rice and 488 tonnes of wheat were allocated against 419 development projects for the implementation of rural infrastructures including primary and high schools, colleges, madrasas, mosques, temples, Eidgah grounds, Muktijoddha Sangsad office, funeral ground and union land office in Sadullapur upazila in 2009-10 fiscal year.
As investigation revealed that chairmen of 63 projects misappropriated either total or partial amount of the allocated food grains without implementing the work, the authority in June 2010 asked the defaulter project chairmen to deposit the price of allocated food grain to the government account.
But none of them responded to the notice.
The authority on January 11 this year again issued notice to the 63 defaulter project chairmen for depositing double the price of misappropriated food grains to government account without delay, the PIO said.
Meanwhile, an appeal jointly signed by the president and the secretary of Sadullapur upazila Awami League (AL) was forwarded to the Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management for re-investigation into the cases of six project chairmen, all union level leaders of AL.
The ministry asked the deputy commissioner of Gaibandha to re-investigate the matter of the six project chairmen.
The 57 other project chairmen did not deposit stipulated amount of Tk 23 lakh 25 thousand 576 against the misappropriated food grains.
Consequently, the PIO started filing certificate cases against 57 project chairmen on May 9 as per government rules under PDR Act 1913.
The defaulter project chairmen, who are influential and politically backed, did not implement the work and sold delivery order of the allocated food grain in black market, said Sadullapur upazila PIO Moshiur Rahman.
Contacted by this correspondent, some defaulter project chairmen said they became victim to the wrath of political leaders despite implementing the work properly.
"We will go for legal battle for justice," said a project chairman at Bongram village.
As the defaulters misappropriated the food grain specially allocated for employment of the destitute, they should be tried under the existing law, said Shahrier Khan Biplob, secretary of upazila unit of AL.
On the other hand, Rafiqul Islam, secretary of upazila unit of Jatiya Party, said, "So far as I know, the project chairmen implemented the works properly. Still they are being charged with misappropriation cases. It is simply harassment to them."
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