5 PWD officials, contractor found responsible for felling trees

The committee, formed to investigate the felling of trees on Uttara Gonobhaban premises in Natore's Dighapatia, has held five Public Works Department (PWD) officials and a PWD enlisted contractor responsible for misappropriating government properties.  

It submitted the probe report to Deputy Commissioner of Natore Shaheena Khatun yesterday, accusing three of them of cutting down a large number of trees illegally and the rest of aiding and abetting the trio.

After getting the report, the DC held a press briefing at her conference room. 

Quoting the report, the DC said PWD Executive Engineer in Natore Mashiur Rahman Akando, contractor Sohel Faysal and caretaker Abdus Sabur were directly involved in the cutting down of the trees, while PWD Sub-divisional Engineer Ziaur Rahman and Section Officer Md Kamruzzaman and another caretaker Abul Kashem were indirectly involved in the incident.

Both Sabur and Kashem have been assigned to look after the Uttara Gonobhaban.        

The probe committee has found that contractor Sohel illegally felled a good number of trees, which is worth around Tk 3.63 lakh, said chief of the committee Razzaqul Islam, also additional district magistrate of Natore.

The report also mentions that Sohel cut down 17 alive trees and branches of 43 others illegally. He was permitted to fell three dead trees and branches of 14 others.

The local administration formed the committee following media reports about irregularities in cutting down the trees.

Razzaqul said Mashiur put pressure on Ziaur and Kamruzzaman for completing the tender process for selling the dead trees hurriedly. Caretaker Sabur helped Mashiur in this work.

Later, contractor Sohel in collusion with Mashiur cut down the alive trees.

According to the probe report, both Mashiur and Sohel benefited from the felling of additional trees.

Ziaur, Kamruzzaman and another caretaker Kashem were found to have been involved in the incident indirectly as they knew everything about it, but did not inform the higher authorities of the PWD, the probe committee chief added.

The committee also proposed a seven-point recommendation, including the filing of a case against the six.

The PWD looks after the maintenance of the Uttara Gonobhaban, and the Uttara Gonobhaban management committee, headed by the Natore DC, supervises overall activities of the Uttara Gonobhaban, Razzaqul said, adding that the PWD floated the tender without permission from the management committee.