High Court wants to know about steps against irregularities
The High Court yesterday wanted to know about the steps taken against those who were allegedly involved in irregularities in purchasing furniture and other household items for officials of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
In response to a writ petition, the court also sought reports from the committees -- formed by housing and public works ministry -- probing the alleged irregularities.
The HC asked the attorney general’s office to inform the court on the steps taken and submit the enquiry reports before it in two weeks, writ petitioner Barrister Sayedul Haque Suman told The Daily Star.
At the same time, the court issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the government to explain in four weeks why their failure to act in good faith in buying and moving furniture into the flats of Green City Housing site of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant should not be declared illegal.
Secretaries to the ministries of housing and public works and science and technology, chief engineers of the department of housing and public works, additional chief engineer and executive engineer of Rajshahi, and the project director of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant have been made respondents to the rule.
The bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Md Shohrowardi came up with the order and rule.
During a hearing on the petition earlier, Barrister Suman told the HC that the irregularities in purchasing furniture and other household items should be enquired by an independent judicial committee, as the committees formed by the housing ministry might be biased.
The officials against whom the allegations have been made are part of the housing ministry, he argued.
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Deputy Attorney General Amatul Karim Swapna represented the government.
According to news reports, the purchase prices of various items to furnish the project’s 966 apartments -- for Russian engineers and officials -- were unusually high compared to market prices.
The reports claimed each pillow was bought for Tk 5,957, and cost of carrying it to an apartment was Tk 760. An electric stove cost Tk 7,747 and the moving cost from ground floor to top floor was Tk 6,650.
The reports also said that the price of an electric iron was Tk 4,154 and the moving cost Tk 2,945.
Media reports also said that salary of the project director was Tk 4.96 lakh. Salary of each driver was around Tk 73,000 and cooks would get Tk 63,000 each.
The total cost of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant stands at around Tk 1,13,025 crore.
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