JS probe body on TIB report fails to start work after 9 months

A parliamentary body tasked with probing the Transparency International Bangladesh's (TIB) report that labelled the communications sector as the most corrupt could not start working even after nine months of its formation as the communications ministry did not provide information.

The communications ministry had assured the committee to provide information challenging the report to take legal action against the TIB, said Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Communications Syed Manjur Hossain, who is also convenor of the sub-committee for looking into the basis of the TIB report.

"But we have not received any information from the communications ministry yet. So we could not start probing the TIB report," he added.

The sub-committee, formed on October 2 last year, was tasked with reporting back within a month, but it has not held any meeting so far.

Even the parliamentary body on communications ministry has not held meeting in last few months ignoring the rules of procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad that say every parliamentary body will sit at least once in a month.

The convenor of the committee, however, said they will start discussing the TIB report soon. "I will convene a meeting of the committee after my recovery from illness," Manjur said.

The TIB, Bangladesh chapter of Transparency International in a corruption database released on September 15 last year revealed that the country had incurred a loss of about Tk 415 crore in 2004 due to corruption.

The communications sector came out as the most corrupt sector in the TIB report, which was based on the corruption reports published in 25 national and regional dailies in 2004.

Communications Minister Nazmul Huda on October 2 at a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on his ministry blasted the TIB for labelling the communications sector as the most corrupt and sought intervention of the parliamentary body in taking legal action against the organisation for smearing the government.

Criticising the newspapers for running 'false' reports, the communications minister said, "It was I, who as the information minister had ensured the freedom of the press."

Making an oblique reference to the TIB, he said people in the country are not fit to probe the so-called corruption situation.

Endorsing the minister's demand, the parliamentary body formed a sub-committee to probe the finds of the TIB report.

"We will examine the report. We will not proceed on with the issue if we find the report objective. But we will protest if we find it baseless," Manjur, the convenor of the sub-committee, told The Daily Star on October 2 last year after the meeting.

PROBE INTO THE CNG SCAM
The parliamentary body on communications ministry in 2004 raised allegations of corruption against the minister and the state minister of the ministry and formed two sub-committees to probe the allegations of corruption in import of CNG-run auto-rickshaws and allocation of land to set up CNG filling stations.

The parliamentary body on January 7 2004 formed a sub-committee headed by ruling BNP lawmaker Nadeem Mostafa to probe Nazmul Huda's allowing only one company to import CNG-run three-wheelers.

It formed another sub-committee headed by BNP lawmaker Mahmudul Haque Rubel on February 14 last year to probe the allegation against State Minister for Communications Salah Uddin Ahmed in allocation of lands to set up CNG filling stations.

The probe bodies are yet to submit their report although they were asked to do so within a month of their formation.