JS committee irked over purchase ‘irregularities’

Parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Science and Technology yesterday expressed dissatisfaction over irregularities in purchasing furniture and other household products for officials and employees of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Pabna.

AFM Ruhal Haque, chairman of the committee, from a meeting at parliament complex asked the ministry to check recurrence of such anomalies in future, said a statement of parliament secretariat.

According to meeting sources, committee member M Habibe Millat raised the issue saying that the government was embarrassed by the alleged irregularities. Later, Ruhal asked Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman and ministry Secretary M Anwar Hossain to explain the matter.

The committee also sought explanation as to why the ministry failed to monitor the anomalies.

Responding to the query, the ministry representatives said they did not monitor the project as the Public Works Department was assigned to conduct the work related to the purchase.

They also informed that the authorities concerned have formed two probe committees in this regard.

Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina informed the House that the person involved in the alleged corruption in buying “pillows and other household items” for the power plant’s residential area had been involved with Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, a pro-BNP student organisation.

According to reports in the media as well as on social media, the procurement prices of various items to furnish the project’s 966 apartments for the Russian engineers and others were abnormally higher than the market prices.

The reports claimed that each pillow was bought for Tk 5,957, and the cost of carrying it to an apartment was Tk 760. An electric stove cost Tk 7,747 and the carrying cost from the ground floor to the top floor cost Tk 6,650. The reports also said the price of an electric iron was Tk 4,154 and the carrying cost Tk 2,945.

Media reports added that salary of the project director was Tk 4.96 lakh. Besides, he will be the executive director of the project, so he can receive an additional Tk 2 lakh. In addition, the salary of each driver was around Tk 73,000 and cooks would get Tk 63,000.

The total cost for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant stands at around Tk 1,13,025 crore.